Making Music

Almost seven months after a fire burned through the 140-year-old building at 110 W. Main Street, two Pilot Point residents are busy picking up the pieces to rebuild. While workers are framing out new, narrower windows for the building’s facade, Deanie Deal and her nephew James Horn are laying out big plans for the interior of the space. Music, atmosphere and “a little touch of Hollywood” are on the way to downtown Pilot Point.

“I really believe that this is going to bring something to The Square,” said Deal, who purchased the building in March. “We’re excited. We’re very excited.”

What Deal and Horn are bringing to Pilot Point Square is the Mockingbird Café, an old-fashioned soda and sandwich shop that will double as a live music venue every Thursday night. They envision a place with a comfortable lounge area, wide walkways and an antique gold ceiling made from the metal tiles that survived the winter fire.

The Mockingbird Café will take over the spot held for years by the familiar Jay’s Café, owned by Jay Melugin. Melugin closed his café after the January fire.

Deal said the musical lineup will feature local musicians and those touring with the Texas Music Revolution, a movement that features native Texas country songwriters. Everything in the café, from the beer and wine selection to the musicians on stage, will hail from Texas.

“They’re not with Nashville. They’re Texas-based,” said Deal. “Everything in this building is going to be Texas-based.”

Music is at the heart of the Mockingbird Café. It’s an important component for Horn and Deal, who have been playing country music together as a family for years. Deal has been a regular performer at local music shows and Horn has released songs with Curb Records. He has number one hits in Europe.

The duo is now working on their first joint album as Deanie and James with the James Dean Texas Project. Their album, titled “The Giant,” features diverse country music and should be complete by August.

During their years spent in the recording industry, Horn and Deal have crossed paths with the famous and infamous. Their album features work by artists who have recorded with Carrie Underwood, Cher, KC and the Sunshine Band and more. Horn said that he wants to bring big names in the music industry to the Pilot Point Square.

“It will be world-class talent,” he said. “We are going to add a little touch of Hollywood to Pilot Point.”

The building is also being wired to accommodate an eventual plan to film a television show at the location. Deal said that could be in the works a few years down the road.

Deal and Horn trace their musical roots to a small Arkansas town similar in size to Pilot Point called Foreman. Deal said they watched their hometown deteriorate over the years and hope that the Mockingbird Café can prevent the same from happening on The Square.

Horn agreed, saying that the building’s location on The Square was the major factor that convinced them to purchase it.

“This is because of the location. We feel that the location is imperative to what we’re doing and the spirit of it is why were compelled to do it,” agreed Horn.

“We want to help. We want to be good neighbors here. We want our business to help other businesses.”

The Mockingbird Café is a unique fit for the “progressive-minded and nostalgic” residents of Pilot Point, Deal said. The café itself walks that same line between the old and new, featuring a live music concept new to The Square while builders strive to preserve the historic building that will house it.

Britton Foster of Foster Brothers Construction is in charge of the restoration process and is taking special care with the historic materials inside the building.

“It’s exciting working on these buildings,” Foster said. “It’s something we have pride in. I enjoy doing it.”

Foster has replaced wood throughout the building that was damaged in the fire. He plans to stain and seal the historic brick marred with smoke damage, since sandblasting the dark surfaces would destroy the soft bricks in the process. Metal ceiling tiles are being pressure washed before they get a fresh coat of paint and those that can’t be cleaned are being replaced.

“There are a lot of little things to do, especially with the damage and the smoke,” Foster said. “The burnt wood, we had to cut a lot of that out and buy new wood. It’s going to have a new roof put on it.

“It’s going to be a new building.”

Foster said he expects construction to be complete in time for Pilot Point’s annual Bonnie and Clyde Days celebration in October. He said the work is being completed “one step at a time.”

“It’s an ongoing project,” Foster said. “There’s always little things that you find later on in the project that you didn’t see when you first started looking at the scope of work. That’s how it always is with these older buildings.”

Horn and Deal are ready to tackle those extra details. The duo is taking their time completing plans for the project, which Horn called “a labor of love.”

Deal said she is excited to see the finished project, which she thinks will bring more activity to The Square.

“I think it’s going to bring a lot to The Square, especially during the events that Pilot Point always hosts. It’ll be a great tourist attraction I believe,” she said.

“We’re going to do a music venue like Pilot Point’s never seen and they’re going to love it.”

This article originally appeared in the Pilot Point Post-Signal.