Sara Tomson-Hooper

With that recovery nearly complete, the rustic but classy event space on North Jefferson Avenue is expanding to include weekly relaxation and retail opportunities. (IAN TOCHER/Staff)

With that recovery nearly complete, the rustic but classy event space on North Jefferson Avenue is expanding to include weekly relaxation and retail opportunities. (IAN TOCHER/Staff)

Backstage Lounge ‘a warm and welcoming space’

Early in 2019, when Sara and Kevin Tomson-Hooper purchased what is now Barrel 118 in downtown Eatonton, they had no clue the worldwide COVID pandemic would arrive within a year.