Finding friends at the Table Rock Tavern A
local Shell Knob business recently opened its doors after a year of renovations. The Table Rock Tavern, opened on December 5, 2021. Jill Broyles, owner and operator of the Table Rock Tavern, said that the idea came to her after decades of visiting the lake. “I’ve been coming to the lake area with my parents since 1979,” she said. “We would camp in Viola for two weeks every year.” While she is originally from the 34 | April 2022
Wichita, Kansas, area, Jill moved to Carthage in 2020. “I would come to my lake house here in Shell Knob on the weekends,” Jill said. “One day, I was on Facebook and I asked, on the Table Rock Group page what there is to do in the area, and if they would be interested in a sports bar?” Jill discovered, if she built it, they would come. “Within two days the Facebook post had over 600 comments,” she said. “It blew up from there.”
A new business in town, the Table Rock Tavern has been a huge hit for the last couple of months. Jill Broyles, owner and operator is excited for the summer season.
Jill leases the property from Mike Fitzpatrick. Based on the Facebook response, Mike’s wife reached out to Jill and told her Mike might have the perfect property. “Mike has been great to work with,” Jill said. “It all started in January 2021. So there was a year of renovations, and Mike paid for all of them.” Jill worked managing an assisted living facility until April 2021, when she moved to Shell Knob full time. “I wanted to oversee stuff,” she
Story by Jordan Troutman
