People call Joe Smaldone "Frank" all the time.

He isn't Frank. Frank was his dog.

That mix-up tells you most of what you need to know about Frank's Beer Shop, the small neighborhood bar at 3348 Commonwealth Avenue in East Charlotte's Commonwealth Park.

The shop is named for a Craigslist rescue who was Joe's best friend for 12 years. Since opening in 2025, it has become the kind of place where dogs often outnumber barstools, shelter pups find homes and the owner invites regulars over for Thanksgiving.

This is our latest local hero story. It's about a bar that became a community, and a guy who turned grief into a weekly parade of shelter dogs.

Frank came into Joe's life by accident.

Joe and his college roommate were seniors, nursing a rough morning after a weekend night, when they scrolled into the dog section of Craigslist and found an ad for a free dog. Three days later, Frank was theirs.

About a month after that, the landlord found out. Joe asked his parents to keep Frank over the holidays while he looked for a new home for him.

By the time Joe got home, his parents had already fallen for him. They kept Frank through the rest of senior year, and after graduation Frank became Joe's for good.

Frank followed Joe to grad school at UNC and then to Tampa, Houston and New York City before the two settled in Charlotte in 2018.

Everywhere they went, people loved him. In college, friends borrowed him so often that the roommates kept a sign-out sheet just to know where their dog was.

Over time, Joe says, every decision he made came down to what was best for Frank and himself. So when Joe, a graphic designer by trade, started selling artwork at local pop-ups and brewing beer for backyard parties he called FranktoberFest, Frank's name went on all of it, Queen City Nerve reported. A bar was the natural next step.

Frank died at the end of 2023. His last couple of years brought health problems, and Joe spent much of that time as a caretaker.

When Frank was gone, Joe said he felt like he had lost a sense of purpose.

A few months later, he started volunteering at the local animal shelter, running and walking dogs who were waiting for homes. He had never done anything like it before.

That work did more than fill a void. It plugged him into a whole new side of Charlotte: shelter volunteers, fosters and rescue groups who pour their time and money into keeping dogs alive.

It also opened his eyes. Joe described dogs being abandoned outside the shelter and mass rescues that push the facility past capacity, leaving adoptable dogs at risk.

The hardest part, he said, is falling for a dog on a walk and then learning it was put down for lack of space.

He is quick to say he is no expert. But he believes Charlotte's shelter has not kept pace with the city's growth, and that stronger rules on backyard breeding would help. His advice to everyone else is simple: learn more and contact lawmakers.

When Frank's opened in 2025, that shelter community came along. A post in the main bar is covered in photos of Joe's favorite shelter dogs.

Video: Frank's Beer Shop: How a rescue dog inspired one of Charlotte's hottest bars, from the Love Your Local series.

Joe is a runner, and he ran a lot with Frank, so Frank's launched a Wednesday run club soon after opening.

His wife, Leah, is not much of a runner. So a couple of weeks later they added a walk option. The first walk club drew Leah, five others and a couple of dogs.

More than a year later, it has turned into something else entirely: a dog walking club that draws 25 to 30 dogs every week, plus fosters, shelter dogs and volunteers.

The walk loops through Commonwealth Park like a small parade. Neighbors set out treats and water, kids wave and drivers honk. Some people come to Frank's on Wednesdays just to see the dogs.

Then there are the photos.

Joe started posting pictures of the Wednesday dogs the next day. One week he tossed treats and caught the reactions. The next week he tried cowboy hats. Now every regular knows the deal: bring your dog, and it may end up in a lion mane or a tiny hat on Instagram.

The silly photos have a serious purpose. When a foster brings in an adoptable dog, Joe shoots adoption-profile photos and shares them. Seeing a shelter pup hanging out at a bar, getting petted by kids, helps people see it is just a good dog waiting for a home.

Frank's has also hosted adoption events with local rescues. Joe says so many people have met their future dogs at the bar that they are trying to keep a running list.

The Google reviews read like thank-you notes.

Of 89 Google reviews, 85 give Frank's five stars, for an average of about 4.9. A few of our favorites:

The same details come up again and again. Local beers on draft. Wine and non-alcoholic drinks for anyone skipping the beer. The Grateful Dead spinning on the record player. Card games for grown-ups, plus coloring pages and sidewalk chalk for the kids.

Weekend mornings bring a different crowd. Frank's pours espresso drinks, and pop-up vendors roll in with bagels on Saturday and cinnamon rolls on Sunday.

The honest critiques are about size. A handful of reviewers say the space is small, seating gets tight on busy nights and the lot fills fast. Most regulars solve that the neighborhood way: they walk over.

Joe and Leah moved into Commonwealth Park a few months after opening because they loved the neighborhood so much.

They had lived in Charlotte for years and had good friends here, but Joe says they never quite found a close-knit community of their own. Frank's changed that.

He now hears from neighbors who lived on the same streets for a decade without knowing each other's names. They met at the bar. Now they are friends.

Joe jokes that Frank's is "the land of misfit toys": a place for people who were struggling to find their people. His pitch to newcomers is easy. Come a couple of times and say hi. Keep an open mind and you will become a neighbor.

The community shows up in hard times too. When a regular's dog dies, the photo goes up on the wall and the whole bar mourns with them.

The next generation of shop dogs is on the job. Dakota, Leah's 12-year-old rescue from Puerto Rico, has become a local celebrity thanks to her signature bandana babushka, which now shows up on Frank's shirts and candles.

Cooper, a white German Shepherd, is one of the shelter dogs Joe used to take on runs. He fell in love on a day out and adopted him. Cooper works more of an off-hours shift, Joe says.

As for a third dog? Joe says the household runs on a strict two-humans-to-two-dogs ratio. With so many great adoptable dogs coming through, he admits it is getting harder to hold the line.

Frank's may be getting a little bigger.

A permit application filed this year for 3348 Commonwealth Avenue describes an existing business expanding into adjacent space as a bar and coffee shop, WhatNow Charlotte reported in June. Joe had earlier teased a partnership with Enderly Coffee and longer hours.

No timeline has been announced. For a spot where the most common complaint is that there is not enough room, that is welcome news.

Hours and events change, so check franksbeershop.com or Frank's Instagram before you go.

Frank would be proud. A reviewer said it first, and after hearing Joe's story, we agree. Grab a leash, meet your neighbors and maybe meet your next dog.

Know a Charlotte business or neighbor who deserves a local hero spotlight? Let The Queen City Scoop know.

Sources: Love Your Local video interview with Frank's Beer Shop, Queen City Nerve, WhatNow Charlotte and Frank's Beer Shop Google reviews.