Kirk McNeil hopes his new business in the Thirty Pines plaza, sandwiched between a laundromat and the Post Office, will alter Concord’s nightlife in a big way.

Gone is Area 23, a local hotspot that added flair to the entertainment climate in the city, with jamming weekend bands and a loyal crowd that gave the place a communal feel.

He’s rebuilding his business near the Thirty Pines complex in Penacook, in the space once occupied by a takeout Chinese restaurant. He’s calling it The Forum Pub.

He says it’s one-third the size of his old place, but will still feature live music, on a smaller scale, plus karaoke, trivia night and, McNeil hopes, a crowd of regulars.

“We’re hoping to be open in two weeks,”  he said.

A bold prediction from a bold businessman, who turned Area 23 into a hit, creating one of the off-beat hotspots in a small city.

McNeil hopes some of his regulars remain loyal. His staff certainly has, with a low turnover rate proving that.

Sara Benes worked at Area 23 for two years and is making the move to the new place. She did everything: bartend, cook, sound person for the band. Now she’s learning how to renovate her house, coming in each day to help McNeil reach his grand opening target date.

She’s had lots of jobs in the restaurant business and never stayed long at any of them, maybe just a few months. She says two years is an eternity for her.

“He’s the best,” said Benes, who’s 30, referring to McNeil. “Kirk is uniquely capable of picking out everyone’s strengths and also working with their weaknesses in a way I have never seen. It’s why I am here.”

Garret Ean is 34 and graduated from Concord High School. He’s been with McNeil since the beginning, in 2015. He scraped old paint off the walls this week and applied new paint. He cooks.

“We’re working on our menu now,” Ean said. “We have new, bigger equipment and we may go in a barbecue direction with diner options.”

McNeil believes he’ll do fine, despite the relocation. There’s a lot to do before he opens, though. These days, refrigerators, beer taps, and tables and chairs crowd the central area.

And the liquor commissioner stopped by this week, conducting an inspection before giving McNeil a liquor license.

They moved through the maze of equipment and boxes.

“The bar will be about here, from that corner to this corner,” McNeil explained. “There will be a swinging door here for the path to the kitchen.”

McNeil then pointed to the main dining area and continued. “There will be tables and  chairs over there,” he said. “And tables and chairs over there, and tables and chairs over there.”

The old Area 23 was tucked off Route 3 into the right corner of the Smokestack Center, giving the place some cachet and mystique.

“It was kind of a hidden treasure when you found it,” McNeil said. “The first couple of years were difficult because people had a hard time finding it. Nobody knew where we were, but over the years it became a benefit because there were those who knew and when someone heard about and found it, they’d say, ‘Hey, this is cool.’ ”

McNeil focused on music, inviting bands from all over New England to play on weekends and never implementing a cover charge. He attracted an eclectic clientele, a crowd with an average age of nearly 50.

McNeil declined to go into details about why precisely he left the old location, saying it’s an ongoing process. 

“I’ll be somewhat mysterious because there is a court case going on,” McNeil said. “Let’s call it irreconcilable differences with my landlord. That’s why we moved.”

McNeil said the new space will have a far smaller capacity than Area 23 had.

“That’s up to the fire department on how many,” McNeil said.

The decrease in size will mean toning down the music, compared to a place that often rocked the roof off on weekend nights. McNeil said he’ll feature more acoustic music and duos. Other musicians will still plug in their electric guitars.

“This place can not handle the level of sound waves,” McNeil said. “The sound waves are real and take up space, and we don’t want to blow anyone’s ears out.”

The Forum Pub will change the landscape at Thirty Pines in Penacook, bringing more people, more cars and more competition. McNeil is aware that he and others will be vying for customers. Alexandra’s Bistro opened last year and is just yards away.

“We’re hoping we can add to the north of Concord-Penacook scene,” McNeil said. “We also hope we can contribute to working with the restaurants in the area. We took great pains to make sure we had a different menu.”