HAMPTON ROADS, VA: The luck o' the Irish is coming to Hampton Roads thanks to Divaris Real Estate. Jack Quinn's Irish Pub recently signed a lease for 6,400 square feet of space at the Port Lock Building located at 241 Granby Street in downtown Norfolk. They will encompass two floors of the six-story building, which is adjacent to the new Hawthorne Hotel and Suites currently under renovation and scheduled to open before the new millennium.

"Jack Quinn's is a continuation, not a chain," says Aidan Bowles, co-owner. "Chains tend to be cookie-cutters, and each Jack Quinn Pub is unique." The concept is to make the pub look like a venerable Irish watering hole. The restaurants are located in historic downtown districts, and boast two-level Victorian-style exteriors. The interior of each pub is uniquely furnished with authentic tables, chairs and fixtures and just about anything a customer sits on or touches, from bar stools to snugs (a stained-glass enclosed seating area) to mahogany and stenciled walls. Each piece is custom-designed by an Irish design company, manufactured in Ireland, then shipped to its new home.

Currently, Jack Quinn's operates several other locations: Colorado Springs, Colorado, Cincinnati, Ohio and Convington, Kentucky. After much traveling and deliberation, Bowles and Jeff Fout, a managing member of Jack Quinn's of Norfolk, LLC, decided on the Granby Street location. "The exterior is almost identical to our Colorado Springs location," said Bowles. They were drawn to this location as opposed to Waterside, because the old building structure fits with the theme.

Fout, a native of Norfolk, will be the manager of the Jack Quinn's new operations. "When you walk into a pub in Ireland," he says, "it gives you a warm, cozy feeling. That's what Jack Quinn's is all about. You can walk in dressed to the nines or you can belly up to the bar in cut-offs and flip flops." It is this philosophy that dictates why the pub doesn't lend itself to a mall atmosphere, similar to chain restaurants. And the location couldn't be better. "I grew up here, went to Kempsville High School and Old Dominion University," Fout says "and I have seen Norfolk change unbelievably." He is excited about the fact that Jack Quinn's is close to a theatre district, local neighborhoods, four hotels, lots of shopping and it doesn't hurt that the beach isn't too far away.

So what can Norfolk expect from an Irish pub? Fout says that the menu will feature traditional Irish fare mixed with local favorites. One can sit down and order shepherd's pie or a boxty (a potato pancake stuffed with corned beef and cabbage with a mustard cream sauce), or one can choose from a variety of local seafood dishes, such as crabcakes or fishcakes. And of course, plenty of Guinness.

The pub will also offer live entertainment. Once a week, Jack Quinn's will feature a "jam session," where local acts can be found, sitting at a table, just playing along. No microphones, no heavy instruments. Weekends will feature bands, both national and local acts.

The lease was negotiated by Divaris Real Estate's Rob Hicks, who represented Jack Quinn's Irish Pub and Restaurant. The City of Norfolk's Development Department worked with Rob Hicks to provide assistance to conclude the transaction.

Norfolk gives us a foothold on the East Coast," says Bowles. "Eventually, we would like to open another pub in Virginia.

We'll just keep looking for that pot of gold.