[twoshort]

I swear there's another topic for this, but I can NOT find it. What's the scoop on this, any progress with getting a liquor license? The 1015 Wealthy topic reminded me that we hadn't heard much about it in a while.

[twoshort]

To save the Uptown Village thread from being hijacked I thought I'd bring this thread back. We know: "the guy from friction records has been working on opening a new bar there. i guess it looks amazing inside." and "it will be a neighborhood pub, no food" and "Members of the Division Ave Arts Coopearative [http://www.thedaac.org] are opening it" from other topics.

Is there any new info?

[twoshort]

I'll just keep talking to myself. It looks like they tried to get the liquor license from the Three Crowns Bistro last week, anyone know if they had any luck?

http://www.ci.grand-rapids.mi.us//download...5e62271201a.pdf (pg 121)

[Nitro]

Quote

i guess it looks amazing inside.

If by that you mean that it looks the same way it did three years ago with only half of a floor then yeah it looks amazing.

I peeked in the window on the way to lunch today, it looks the same to me.

[timbucktuna]

Nitro, on Nov 21 2006, 01:02 PM, said:

If by that you mean that it looks the same way it did three years ago with only half of a floor then yeah it looks amazing.

I peeked in the window on the way to lunch today, it looks the same to me.

i was basically just comenting on what the people who are actually working on the building have said to me in the past. i've never been in the space, or looked in the windows. APPARENTLY, the space as a whole is very nice. very art deco which they are going to try and save. and i'm sure the floor will look nice too when they're done with it.

[joshleo]

Could have sworn that my step-cousin owns that building with some friends, (he is the lead singer of mustard plug) in know they have run into some problems with the floor being crappy and some financial partnership issues to hold things up... maybe i can get some more information over the holidays.

[twoshort]

joshleo, on Nov 21 2006, 02:57 PM, said:

Could have sworn that my step-cousin owns that building with some friends

http://www.frictionrecords.net/ has some stake in it for sure.

[dtown]

joshleo, on Nov 21 2006, 02:57 PM, said:

Could have sworn that my step-cousin owns that building with some friends, (he is the lead singer of mustard plug) in know they have run into some problems with the floor being crappy and some financial partnership issues to hold things up... maybe i can get some more information over the holidays.

Your cousin is the Mustard Plug guy! Thats cool, i like them quite a bit.

Edit: sorry for going off topic twoshort. I didnt even think before posted this message. But, if the mustard plug guy has a stake in this building, then maybe its the building they shot their music video "Over the Edge" in. It was a crappy old vacant building, and i asked the guy who shot it(on youtube) and he said it was somewhere in GR.

This post has been edited by dtown: 21 November 2006 - 03:18 PM

[PRCH]

[quote name='twoshort' date='Nov 21 2006, 11:49 AM' post='620607']
I'll just keep talking to myself. It looks like they tried to get the liquor license from the Three Crowns Bistro last week, anyone know if they had any luck?

They have the license. Bear Manor owns and will renovate the building; the original principals,including, I believe, joshleo's singing stepcousin, will operate the bar. See you all there on opening night (confidence is high).

[GRDadof3]

Just for clarification, is it the building in the far left of this rendering? Otherwise, I can't picture what the front looks like.

[twoshort]

Yes, that's it. It's the first building east of diamond on the north side of Wealthy.

[frictionrecords]

This is Jeff VandenBerg, Me and my sister Tami are working on opening the Meanwhile bar, formerly 2 Stans. That is it on the far left of that picture. Dave from Mustard Plug was our partner for years, but now it is just us. We sold the building to Bear Manor, gave Dave his share and put our share toward the liquor license. We have a purchase agreement with the former 3 Crowns Bistro people, pending government approval. We were officially approved by the city of Grand Rapids at the City Commission meeting on Nov 14. Now it needs to be approved on the state level. They say that should take about a month.

The inside does not look amazing, but it will. They just put a roof on it, and the construction should start any day now. Bear Manor just bought and renovated 4 houses right on wealthy, about a block to the east. Their crew is finishing up the last of them. As soon as that is done, they are starting on the bar.

I just got back from a meeting with Merchandise Equipment, who are designing the layout and pricing out all of the equipment, walk-in cooler, ice machine, taps and everything.

Lyndi, who manages Mulligan's and Billy's is acting as a consultant for us.

Yes, I run Friction Records and the DAAC.
www.frictionrecords.net
www.thedaac.org

[GRDadof3]

frictionrecords, on Nov 21 2006, 05:03 PM, said:

This is Jeff VandenBerg, Me and my sister Tami are working on opening the Meanwhile bar, formerly 2 Stans. That is it on the far left of that picture. Dave from Mustard Plug was our partner for years, but now it is just us. We sold the building to Bear Manor, gave Dave his share and put our share toward the liquor license. We have a purchase agreement with the former 3 Crowns Bistro people, pending government approval. We were officially approved by the city of Grand Rapids at the City Commission meeting on Nov 14. Now it needs to be approved on the state level. They say that should take about a month.

The inside does not look amazing, but it will. They just put a roof on it, and the construction should start any day now. Bear Manor just bought and renovated 4 houses right on wealthy, about a block to the east. Their crew is finishing up the last of them. As soon as that is done, they are starting on the bar.

I just got back from a meeting with Merchandise Equipment, who are designing the layout and pricing out all of the equipment, walk-in cooler, ice machine, taps and everything.

Lyndi, who manages Mulligan's and Billy's is acting as a consultant for us.

Yes, I run Friction Records and the DAAC.
www.frictionrecords.net
www.thedaac.org

Welcome Jeff and thanks for the info. Good luck in putting everything together. Are they planning on making any renovations to the front, or will it remain pretty much the same? Is that the original historic facade with the glass block?

[frictionrecords]

The brick facade was added in the 40s when it beacame a bar (it was a A & P market before that) The rounded glass block on each side of the door will go all the way to the ground. That's how it was originally but apparebtly someone ran into it with their car and they replace the damaged glass block with brick. The two windows on the front will be enlarged for more transparency.

[concretepoem]

frictionrecords, on Nov 21 2006, 05:46 PM, said:

The brick facade was added in the 40s when it beacame a bar (it was a A & P market before that) The rounded glass block on each side of the door will go all the way to the ground. That's how it was originally but apparebtly someone ran into it with their car and they replace the damaged glass block with brick. The two windows on the front will be enlarged for more transparency.

Can't wait to have a drink in your new place. My Dad used to bowl on the Two Stan's Bar bowling team back in the late 1950s, at the Fanatorium and places like that. Please don't trash the old sign out front...save a spot for it inside it as memorial to the old place.

[jwazzz]

Any plans for the space between the west wall of the building and the sidewalk on Diamond? It would be ideal for a patio. And what about that billboard - does it have to stay? Good luck on your venture - I'll be looking foreward to opening day.

[twoshort]

jwazzz, on Nov 21 2006, 08:58 PM, said:

Any plans for the space between the west wall of the building and the sidewalk on Diamond?

They don't own it, the image shoppe does.



And to frictionrecords: thanks for the update. I can't wait to come in for a cold one. I have to ask the question that all of us non-development types like to ask: when will it be done?

[frictionrecords]

twoshort, on Nov 22 2006, 08:42 AM, said:

They don't own it, the image shoppe does.

And to frictionrecords: thanks for the update. I can't wait to come in for a cold one. I have to ask the question that all of us non-development types like to ask: when will it be done?

That's right, image shop owns it. I don't know what they are doing out there. All i heard is they they are "landscaping" it.

If all goes well we hope to be open in the spring/early summer.

concretepoem, on Nov 21 2006, 07:18 PM, said:

Can't wait to have a drink in your new place. My Dad used to bowl on the Two Stan's Bar bowling team back in the late 1950s, at the Fanatorium and places like that. Please don't trash the old sign out front...save a spot for it inside it as memorial to the old place.

Yes, the old 2 stans sign will definately be on disply inside.

[frictionrecords]

jwazzz, on Nov 21 2006, 07:58 PM, said:

Any plans for the space between the west wall of the building and the sidewalk on Diamond? It would be ideal for a patio. And what about that billboard - does it have to stay? Good luck on your venture - I'll be looking foreward to opening day.

We tryed to get that billboard down. It went to the city planning meeting but it is owned by Viacom, one of the biggest media corporations in the world with the biggest lawyers in the world. They walked right over us. Even Bazzani couldn't do anything about it. As far as i know the contract has like 10 more years on it.
There has been talk of planting trees in front of it.

As far as a patio goes, we got the zoning approval for a beer garden in the back. There is a 25' x 30' are between the back of the building and Bazzani's fence. It will be great in the summer!

[bearmanor man]

Hey guys. Barry from Bear Manor here. We will have the building ready for the Vandenbergs to take over in early Spring. We just started construction on it, and it's crazy in there! We're pouring new concrete footings today, and we should have the all important "floor" in early next week. Personally I think we should have left the floor out and made the basement into a swimming pool...