New next door: Atlantic Beach dive bar gets an update

But owner Janice Bynum said she's known for years that change was inevitable. When she bought the bar 13 years ago, the property owner warned her that one day he'd tear it down.

When that day came, Bynum decided to build new, right next door. Now the bar once featured in Dive Bar magazine has a spiffy new look, but Bynum promises "the same beachy, sand on your shoes, casual bar feeling."

"The building looks a little fancier because it's brand new," she said, "but beer's not going up!"

The regulars will recognize some of the decor. The new bar, just like the old one, is designed to look like the back of a Hatteras fishing boat.