Blue Cow Grille's Last Winterfest, and What Comes Next on Moore Street

"We love this area," Noah Rudolph told the StarNews. "We want to invest in what already makes Southport special and hopefully be a positive part of it for a long time."

Rudolph is the new owner of 108 E. Moore St., the building where Blue Cow Grille has served burgers for eight years. Blue Cow closes Dec. 17. Southport Winterfest runs Dec. 4 through Dec. 12, so the whole festival falls inside the restaurant's final two weeks. This year's tree lighting, parade and flotilla are the last ones with Blue Cow serving on Moore Street. By early 2027, one of its best-known corners will be selling donuts and smoothie bowls.

Two Doors Closed in One Fall

The first change has already happened. Ports of Call Bistro at 116 N. Howe St. closed in October, the StarNews reported. The restaurant's motto was "the world on your plate." Jake Pfohl and Ray Acayan first visited Southport in 2005 and opened Ports of Call in 2011. They took their inspiration from the many cuisines of their former home in New York City, and the menu ran from Caribbean soups to Italian risottos. Over 15 years the bistro also hosted jazz nights, wine dinners built around global themes, and multi-course holiday meals.

For years, a sit-down holiday dinner on Howe Street was part of downtown's calendar. That option ended in October.

Blue Cow Grille is a block away on Moore Street, and it is still open through mid-December. Owner Sheila Barbee is retiring after a long career in restaurants. Along with the burgers, the menu carries other sandwiches, salads, tacos and extras like pork rinds. "We appreciate our local community, loyal customers and great staff for supporting Blue Cow Grille," she said in a social media note quoted by the StarNews. Barbee first tried to sell the restaurant itself, the paper reported, and then sold the building. Because of that, the space will not continue as Blue Cow under new owners. Something different is coming.

Winterfest Runs Inside Blue Cow's Countdown

The full Winterfest schedule from Brunswick County's tourism calendar shows how the festival lines up with Blue Cow's closing date. Most of the week takes place within a few blocks of Moore and Howe.

The parade is the event with the most direct tie to the closings. The Light Up the Night route runs along Moore and Howe and then returns to the Southport Fire Station. That takes it past both 108 E. Moore St. and 116 N. Howe St. on Dec. 11. By that night, one of the two buildings will be dark and the other will have six days left as Blue Cow.

Saturday, Dec. 12 is the busiest day. The craft festival takes over Bay Street from 10 a.m. Winterfest Performing Arts runs on the Fort Johnston Lawn from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Southport Train and Toy Show fills the Indian Trail Meeting Hall from noon to 5 p.m., and the Spark the Season Holiday Party runs at the Southport Community Building from 1 to 5 p.m. The flotilla closes the day at 6 p.m. on the waterfront. The Southport Annual Holiday Tour of Homes runs Friday and Saturday. Tickets are sold through the Southport Historical Society or the Fort Johnston Visitor Center and Museum. On Friday, Dec. 11, Once More Bookstore holds its Holiday Open House from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., ahead of the parade that evening.

Some events sit a short drive from the downtown grid. Gingerbreads & Gigawatts is at the Brunswick Energy & Education Center at 3 p.m. on Dec. 5. The city's Winterfest page points to its December calendar for details and lists the Southport Visitors' Center at 910-457-7927.

What the 1908 Building Becomes

Rudolph has a track record downtown customers may already know. At 18, he opened OKI Scoop Shop & Donuts with his father. Ten years later he has added a Carolina Beach location and opened Beach Break Bowls in Oak Island, according to the StarNews.

His plan for 108 E. Moore St. splits one restaurant space into three businesses:

• Southport Donuts & Ice Cream. An earlier business on the property also sold doughnuts, and Rudolph told the paper he is happy to bring them back.
• Beach Break Bowls. A new Moore Street location of the Oak Island shop, serving bowls and smoothies that can be made dairy free, gluten free or sugar free.
• A charm bar and permanent jewelry shop with a Southport theme. Rudolph described it as a place for unique souvenirs and mementos.

The building dates to 1908. Rudolph said necessary updates come first, and that the goal is "to keep the charm and character of the buildings while giving each business its own feel." He is aiming to open in early 2027.

Blue Cow closes Dec. 17. Renovation of a building that is more than a century old follows. The new storefronts are targeted for the new year, so there will be a stretch with no business open at 108 E. Moore St. between the last burger and the first donut. The mix that comes back is built around counter service, desserts and gifts. Downtown loses an eight-year sit-down lunch and dinner spot and gains three smaller businesses aimed at quick stops and souvenir buying.

Where This Year's Holiday Wine Dinner Moved

With Ports of Call closed, the nearest themed holiday wine dinner on the calendar is outside the historic district. Bella Cucina, at 5177 Southport Supply Rd. SE, Unit A, has two on its event calendar.

1. Wednesday, Nov. 18, 6–8:30 p.m. A wine dinner a few weeks before Winterfest begins.
2. Wednesday, Dec. 23, 6–8 p.m. A Feast of the Seven Fishes wine dinner, with a dining-room seat listed at $99.

The Dec. 23 dinner comes six days after Blue Cow's final day and eleven days after the flotilla. Southport's holiday dining calendar now stretches out along Southport Supply Road as well as the waterfront blocks.

The Storefront Deadline Comes First

Before any of this, the city's Sixth Annual Storefront Showcase has a deadline that falls in November. The contest is open to any business or home within Southport city limits, and the dates run as follows:

• Registration closes Nov. 30.
• Decorations must be up by Dec. 3.
• Public voting runs Dec. 4 through Dec. 13.
• Winners are announced Dec. 15.

Voting opens the same evening as the tree lighting at Whittler's Bench and closes the day after the flotilla. Winners are named on Dec. 15, two days before Blue Cow's last day. Anyone walking Moore and Howe during Winterfest to vote will pass a storefront wrapping up its last season and a dark one at 116 N. Howe St. Rudolph's three new businesses are scheduled for the start of 2027.

Following how downtown Southport's storefronts change hands is part of the work for the team at Hank Troscianiec & Associates, whether the questions are about a 1908 building on Moore Street or the block around your own address. If you want to talk through what these Moore and Howe changes mean for you, Schedule a Free Consultation and we'll walk the blocks with you.