Displaced downtown music club, The Dame, has found a new home and will reopen on Friday, Oct. 3, in the music and dance portion of Main Street Live.
Nick Sprouse, talent buyer and former general manager of The Dame at its previous location, said a deal was finished Friday night, Sept. 12, to occupy part of the Main Street Live building, located at 367 E. Main St. The deal calls for a joint operation of the existing club and The Dame, which lost its original location in June when the buildings on the Woolworth Block were vacated and later demolished to make way for the $205 million CentrePointe project.
Sprouse said he expects his entire staff from the previous location to be employed at the new club that will have 30 to 40 percent more space than the original incarnation.
"We're looking forward to the new place-and having bigger shows," Sprouse said. He estimates the venue, formerly A1A, can hold around 500 people and will have the separate music venue and dance club which could lead to a combination of two of The Dame's most popular attractions, live music and the Friday night '80s dance party depending on sound buffering.
Sprouse said he was busy finalizing the deal into the wee hours Saturday morning as 200 to 300 revelers were recreating the late night Friday '80s dance party on the Historic Courthouse lawn across the street from the CentrePointe project.
While there will be a joint operation of sorts with Main Street Live, Sprouse said the club will have a separate entrance from the rest of Main Street Live and will most likely be shut off from the rest of the building which includes an outdoor volleyball court. As talent buyer Sprouse will have "creative control" over the club, while Main Street Live managers will perform the administrative end as The Dame will "operate under (their) umbrella."
The artists playing the return show have not been booked yet, but should be announced soon, Sprouse said.