Abhiroop Das
Created by Jonas Pate, Prime Video’s ‘The Runarounds‘ tells the story of a high school band in Wilmington that dares to dream big. With his last summer before college, Charlie Cooper has a mission: assemble a band with his talented best friends and carve out a name in the ever-expanding music industry. However, the protagonist is quick to realize that the climb uphill is full of challenges, each unique and more challenging than the last. With Neil, Topher, Bez, Wyatt, and all of his friends by his side, he resolves to rebel the only way he knows how, through soul-rendering music. As the show is largely set in one city, we grow intimate with its cityscapes and culture over time. To that end, the band’s lived experiences and the various places they inhabit breathe life into their musical journey. Catesby’s Music Store and Halsey’s Diner are two such locations, with their past as well as their present deeply informing the choices the characters make throughout the story.
Catesby’s is a Fictional Music Store Lensed at a Bar and Coffee Shop in Wilmington
Catesby’s Music is introduced into ‘The Runarounds’ as a failing music store run by a former star lyricist named Catesby Shaw. However, from that point on, the store becomes a springboard for many creative developments, following the core band at every turn. While the music store itself is a fictional construct developed by the writing team of the show, which includes Jonas Pate, Nora Kirkpatrick, David Wilcox, and Ilana Wolpert, it is firmly rooted in reality through its filming location. Bespoke Bar and Coffee Shop, situated at 202 Princess Street, in Wilmington, North Carolina, doubles up as the fictional music store and, in turn, serves as one of the major backdrops for the narrative. Given the difference between the location’s real and imagined purpose, careful set work was likely involved in bringing a music-based aesthetic to life.
Catesby’s Music becomes an important element in the narrative in large part due to Catesby Shaw’s encouraging the band’s growth to the best of his abilities. The unique environment provided by the music store becomes a stepping stone for The Runarounds to achieve even greater heights. To that end, adding an element of authenticity becomes even more important, and it is possible that real-life music stores and jam studios were used as reference points for the creation of Catesby’s Music. In particular, The Music Loft of Wilmington stands out as a potential source of inspiration. Located at 413 College Road 3, in Wilmington, the store is a hub for young enthusiasts of Music, but with not many similarities, the overlaps are more likely to be coincidental in nature.
A Real Restaurant Transforms into Halsey’s Diner For The Runarounds
Over the course of the season, Halsey’s Diner becomes one of the more memorable settings from the show. It primarily serves as a base where all the characters unite and share their experiences. As such, the place becomes the center of many dramatic moments, steering the story forward. Similar to Catesby’s, Halsey’s Diner is a fictional restaurant that uses a real-life establishment as its base. In particular, the crew set camp in Dram Yard Restaurant to bring the fictional diner to life. Located at 101 South Second Street in Wilmington, the restaurant specializes in southern coastal dishes and is a popular hub in its own right. While its niche makes it stand out from its fictional counterpart, the two locations still share the same visuals, all of which enrich ‘The Runarounds’ with a dose of realism.
Notably, Halsey’s Diner also shares a name with a real-life restaurant in Geneva, situated at 106 Seneca Street, New York. Famous for its pizzas and other baked food items, the real Halsey’s bears a close resemblance to its fictional analogue; however, with their geographical and narrative differences, this commonality is likely unintended by the creative team. Within the show, the diner’s role changes over time, from being a spectator at first to actively helping the band grow. As Pete, the band’s manager, finds work at Halsey’s, it frequently features in many of the narrative’s turning points. Additionally, this also sheds light on one of the show’s central themes, namely the challenges to balancing work with passion. How the band makes use of the location changes with every beat, and its fictional, flexible nature comes in handy in elevating the story.
Read More: The Runarounds Ending Explained: Do the Runarounds Break up?
