Conversations with Adam Morgan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Adam Morgan.

Hi Adam, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m born & raised in Tupelo. Left for around 9 years after high school, but eventually, I found my way back here. Around 2010 I had been selling real estate for nearly a decade and had sort of grown tired of it. I was making a decent living, but real estate just wasn’t “me” and I was debating on leaving Tupelo in search of another opportunity.

Asheville, Birmingham, and a few other places were in the mix, but one day out of a conversation with some friends about all the cool things going on in the other places and what wasn’t going on there came the suggestion “Why don’t you do something about it instead of complaining” and for whatever reason on that particular day that really resonated with me.

So with that as a kick in the rear and a limited amount of back of the house experience from some restaurants in Oxford, MS, I started cultivating a plan, which led to a long search for the right location, which eventually landed me at a small, previously occupied by a hair salon space.

It had great metal bones, but it had 8’ drop ceilings & 8 small rooms, definitely didn’t look a single pinch like a restaurant/bar. By March of 2011, we had it cleaned up, installed a full kitchen, and had found enough old barn wood to get it looking like an entirely different place and that’s when Blue Canoe started paddling.

The name Blue Canoe comes from an old Blue Mountain (iconic college circuit band from Oxford) tune of the same name. A musical reference for a joint that was determined to become a music venue in addition to a local bar & grill. We designed the stage to look like an old back porch, despite being inside the restaurant, The Cathead Stage came to be known, which is sponsored by Cathead Vodka.

Over the years our little 100ish capacity venue has been fortunate to host such acts as Gary Clark Jr., Leon Bridges, Alabama Shakes, Sturgill Simpson, Ryan Bingham, JoJo Hermann, Tyler Childers, Colter Wall, and even Futureman & Jeff Coffin(of Bela Fleck & The Flecktones fame) amongst many others and we continue to try and find these acts before the whole world knows their names.

We’ve toned down from hosting live music every single night like we were doing pre covid, but we’re still hosting national & regional acts numerous times each week. We put out some fantastically creative bar food and we have been recognized as having the Best Dessert in MS from MS Magazine a record 5 times.

We have 48 craft beers on tap, plenty of bottled & canned options, and a full bar too. Check us out on Facebook, Instagram, or our website bluecanoebar.com.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The learning curve was pretty steep in that I had zero front-of-the-house experience, nor had I ever booked a band, but thru a lot of hustle, determination, and a lot of spending the night on the couch by the bar I found my way. Plus, a ton of support from our local community!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As a restaurant owner in Tupelo, I think I’m most proud of the “restaurant community” we have.

It’s not catty and not cutthroat, but rather we’ve, by and large, pulled together to support and build each other up. Whether by word of mouth or via social media.

It’s something very rare in the restaurant world and that bond & spirit to succeed and see each other succeed that we all share is what I think makes Tupelo unique. I brought the phrase #RepYoHood into the mix along the way to describe this notion and it’s something I try to practice weekly.

What does success mean to you?
I’m not sure my answer would be anyone else’s answer, but to me, success means first providing an excellent place for my staff to feel at home and to make a solid living.

Take care of those that take care of you! And from there it means providing a place where our local community has a unique place to come and shake off the weight of the world while eating something comforting or catching a live performance.

As long as those two things are happening then I’m going to feel successful.

Contact Info:

• Email: Bluewaterwagon@gmail.com
• Website: Bluecanoebar.com
• Instagram: @Bluewaterwagon
• Facebook: @BlueCanoeTupelo