Sweet Caroline’s is located inside the Louisiana Boardwalk.

Musicians will tickle the ivories at the Boardwalk

Editor's note: At the time of publication, Sweet Caroline's was scheduled to open on Dec. 7.

DJ Roman and Keith Haley knew they wanted to go into business together.

What they didn't know was what kind of business to open.

"One of the things we like to do when we're out of town is go to dueling piano bars, if there's one wherever we are," Roman said. "There's not a dueling piano bar everywhere, but if we were in Dallas and were looking for something to do, we would check out a dueling piano bar because we really enjoy them."

Now, Roman (sales manager for two car dealerships) and Haley (a nurse) don't have to travel to visit a dueling piano bar. They have opened Sweet Caroline's Dueling Piano Bar in what used to be Charming Charlie inside Bossier City's Louisiana Boardwalk.

"There isn't a dueling piano bar within a three-hour radius of Shreveport-Bossier, no matter which direction you go. We started thinking about it and talking about it, and then we started researching it and looking into it. The more we did, the more we felt like we could pull it off."

In December, Sweet Caroline's will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. (dueling pianos Wednesday through Saturday). Starting in January 2024, dueling pianos will be featured Thursday-Saturday. There will be a $10 admission charge. Food will not be served except for the occasional partnership with local food trucks and vendors.

As for the entertainers, Roman said they will be top-notch, with talent from across the United States.

"As much as I would love to have local musicians and I want local musicians, dueling piano players are a breed of their own. They are very specialty-trained. The folks we have coming in are the best in the country. We're not just bringing in anyone off the street to play piano. This is what these folks do. They do dual pianos, and they are very good at it."

Roman said it took a couple of months to choose Caroline's location. He and Haley considered places in Shreveport and Bossier (including the East Bank). But in the end, they decided on the Boardwalk, which has seen several stores close in recent years.

"I really like its location. It's centrally located between Shreveport and Bossier. The grounds of the Boardwalk are very nice. There's free parking. Even though a lot of businesses have left – Covid really, really hurt the Boardwalk, at least that's my belief – it was my belief that if it was the right business and done correctly, people would come to the Boardwalk."

And when people come to Sweet Caroline's, Roman hopes – thinks – they will be impressed.

"When you look at the audio system in this place and when you look at the light system in this place, and you look at the work we've done (including building a bar and a stage), you're going to realize we didn't just open a business so we could open a business. We invested money so the audio is first rate. The lights are first rate. Everything is probably going to be what people expect, but more than likely, it's going to exceed their expectations... I think people are going to be very pleasantly surprised." Roman said he and Haley have done most of the remodeling work that didn't require a contractor.

They will also have another entertainment option, which was Roman and Haley's original goal.

"At the end of the day, my partner and I want to provide something else for the people of Shreveport and Bossier. ... I want to provide an option for Shreveport-Bossier. Not only for the local people, but when people travel here, I want folks to say, 'Oh, man, they have a dueling piano bar. That's amazing! When we go to Shreveport, let's check that out!' I want it to maybe be a defining factor as to why they come to Shreveport to go to a football game or to the casinos, instead of going somewhere else. It's one more option of something for people to do."

To learn more about Sweet Caroline's Dueling Piano Bar, visit www.sweetcarolinesbc.com.