ATLANTA — The Rusty Nail Pub along Buford Highway is getting ready to close its doors this weekend after nearly 50 years of business.
11Alive confirmed the dive bar will be closing on Saturday, Sept. 23.
However, loyal patrons gathered outside the bar Friday were met with closed doors. Customers turned into the bar parking lot one after the other, only to leave a few minutes later.
Some customers waited in the parking lot to see if the bar would open, and they shared a few of their favorite "Rusty Nail" memories in the meantime.
Patrons of the 'Rusty Nail' gather around dive bar
"We have a crew and we always come here and just have a few beers on Friday," Cara Warren said.
For Warren, the Rusty Nail has been her usual hanging spot for the last decade, a one-of-a-kind space.
"It's the end of an era. There's nothing like the Rusty Nail in Atlanta," Warren said.
Marco Gianturco, another loyal customer, agrees with Warren.
"It's a part of Atlanta," Gianturco said. "The best part of this place were the friendships, the loyalty, the love and the feeling that you can come here and not be turned away no matter what you look like."
Amid the bar regulars present Friday afternoon, newcomer Wayne Floyd hoped to get a taste of the Rusty Nail before its closure. He described hearing of the bar from friends as 'stories like you wouldn't believe.'
"One of our guys met his future wife here, and he remembers that fondly," Floyd said.
The pub is known for its unique and enormous 18-foot smoking gun, which has been outside the Buford Highway location for more than 20 years. At this time, it is still unclear as to why the bar is closing.
According to its website, the bar is the "South's version of cheers." Over the years, it has offered customers Southern and American food, cold beer and a "real bar experience."
Smoking gun pictured outside the 'Rusty Nail'
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