New 'Garden and Gun-style' restaurant/pub coming to Madison area. See where

If you are looking to hit a home run with a business development, placing in Downtown Flora in northwest Madison County is probably a pretty good bet.

Downtown Flora has been doing just fine for the past 10 to 15 years, with a near 100% capacity for shops along Main Street and an influx in new businesses and restaurants.

The next big thing in the small town is the pub-style restaurant Parlor 18 Eighty Six.

Owner Jason Dean, who also has another business in the downtown area with his wife, said opening a new business in Downtown Flora is a no-brainer.

"Flora has just become this little gem, you know?" Dean said. "There is just so much activity out this direction that is really cool. Of course, the big, big announcement was the hyperscale data center just down the road on (Mississippi) 22, which is coming, but there are a lot of reasons why there is more activity in in Flora."

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He said the 1,000 jobs associated with that project mean more business for everyone in the future. But he also said the future is now in many respects.

The town of Flora continues to see commercial growth. Still, the small Madison County community will get an even bigger shot in the arm, including the Entergy Mississippi project, in which the company has purchased the former Primo's manufacturing facility, along with 10 acres and another 25 acres in the Flora Industrial Park. It is relocating 44 employees to Flora, with more than $30 million being invested.

"There's the Malouf Construction headquarters being built, the AgUp supplier has broken ground on its new offices near Flora. It's just an exciting time," Dean said. "We took a look at it and the amount of traffic that goes through the downtown area and thought this would be a great place to put a watering hole and a restaurant for folks to come in and have a good time."

Parlor 18 Eighty Six offers signature cocktails as well as one of the most extensive bourbon selections in Mississippi. In addition, it offers many options for flatbread, charcuterie, dips and hummus as well as a couple of sinful desserts.

The name 18 Eighty Six comes from the year Flora was established in Madison County, which was named after the wife of W.B. Jones who gave the right-of-way to the railroad in 1883. However it wasn't chartered or incorporated until 1886.

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"I like to think of our place as a Garden and Gun (magazine) style establishment. We have the brown leather, dark colors, that type of feel," Dean said. "This is a special place. I really feel that way. I think we are ultimately going to be considered a bourbon tasting destination for people who want to experience unique bourbons."

The restaurant is working with entrepreneur and chef David Raines, who owns multiple businesses in the Downtown Flora area, including the Flora Butcher and Raines Cellers. Raines is working with the restaurant's general manager John Poore to help supply specialty bourbons as well as other high-end beverages.

"We are going to be relatively expensive on the bourbon side of things," Poore said. "We will start out with 10 to 12. Some of those will be common, like Maker's Mark and Basil Haden. But we will have some others as we try to stay close to home. We will have some Clyde Mays from Alabama."

He also said there will be Old Soul rye, which is a Cathead product out of Jackson. Poore said they will also feature Wilderness Trail bourbon, a Wild Turkey product out of Danville, Kentucky.

"In conjunction with Raines Cellars, we will also have a barrell pick with our name on it," Poore said. "So, we are very excited. We think we will have a lot of selections that other people will not."

Dean also said there is a full selection of non-alcoholic beers as well as mocktails. The venue also will have live music most nights for 18 Eighty Six, which opened on March 20 and is open Wednesday through Saturday after 3:30 p.m.

If you have a story idea, Ross Reily can be reached by email at rreily@gannett.com or at 601-573-2952. You can follow him on Twitter @GreenOkra1.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: New pub/restaurant opens in Flora MS