>> Providence West Neighborhoods

[runawayjim]

Oh, I can totally see the DD drive thru line snaking around the open space in the square.

[Dan Halen]

I don't know the details, but the beloved Decatur Lounge has been served with an eviction notice.

This must be stopped.

If you love The Decatur or are sick of the current system trying to push the fun loving people and places who make this hellish city WORTH living in or even visiting, PLEASE make your voice heard.

We don't have much time...............

Please contact John Lombardi @ (401) 453-3900 and state your concerns. He is part of the West Broadway Neighborhood Association and (i think) is working on Joann's behalf and may have the needed power to quell the evil beast.

Again, please help save a wonderful Providence icon. Remember, even if you don't frequent the establishment you may find that the few that you do, may soon also become extinct!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know some of you on this board are martini sipping 'upscale' types, but I'm sure we can all agree the decatur is a huge bright spot for the west end / broadway/ federal hill areas.

[Jenkins]

I don't know the details, but the beloved Decatur Lounge has been served with an eviction notice.

This must be stopped.

If you love The Decatur or are sick of the current system trying to push the fun loving people and places who make this hellish city WORTH living in or even visiting, PLEASE make your voice heard.

We don't have much time...............

Please contact John Lombardi @ (401) 453-3900 and state your concerns. He is part of the West Broadway Neighborhood Association and (i think) is working on Joann's behalf and may have the needed power to quell the evil beast.

Again, please help save a wonderful Providence icon. Remember, even if you don't frequent the establishment you may find that the few that you do, may soon also become extinct!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know some of you on this board are martini sipping 'upscale' types, but I'm sure we can all agree the decatur is a huge bright spot for the west end / broadway/ federal hill areas.

[basachs]

this is already being discusse on the West neighborhood thread, cotuit can we merge this?

[Dan Halen]

There is widespread rumor about the other partner in the decatur lounge using ill gotten $$ to buy his own bar nearby, and resulting legal dispute between the 2 partners.

Additionally, it is also widely known that the building owner advertised other area properties he was selling as being 'close to the decatur lounge' as a main selling point, all the while attempting to get control of it for himself.

If nothing is done about this situation, then we are all a bunch of do nothing blogosphere ineffectual candyasses.

[Cotuit]

If nothing is done about this situation, then we are all a bunch of do nothing blogosphere ineffectual candyasses.

[eltron]

This candyass isn't going to get himself riled up until he hears what is actually happening here. Rumor and speculation helps nothing.

Can we have some facts please? Most important fact, what exactly is Lombardi expected to do? This is private property, the owner has rights, and there are procedures for eviction. Now if there is some sort of dispute between the owner and the tenant and Lombardi thinks he can mediate a compromise, I'm all for it.

[Dan Halen]

This candyass isn't going to get himself riled up until he hears what is actually happening here. Rumor and speculation helps nothing.

Can we have some facts please? Most important fact, what exactly is Lombardi expected to do? This is private property, the owner has rights, and there are procedures for eviction. Now if there is some sort of dispute between the owner and the tenant and Lombardi thinks he can mediate a compromise, I'm all for it.

[Cotuit]

Ask around.

[Liamlunchtray]

There's a dispute, all right.

The owner of the building has repeatedly tried to get the decatur shut down or terminate the lease in the past so he can get control of the bar, for whatever reason. This has been ongoing for over a year, and is common knowledge in the area.

Ask around.

[c.a.haynes]

There's a dispute, all right.

The owner of the building has repeatedly tried to get the decatur shut down or terminate the lease in the past so he can get control of the bar, for whatever reason. This has been ongoing for over a year, and is common knowledge in the area.

Ask around.

[Liamlunchtray]

That is so far off base it amazes me that it is being tossed around... You really need to do some fact checking before posting this type of comment.

[jencoleslaw]

well, there's always the old Sandy's pub.

oh. wait....

[Liamlunchtray]

Here is the statement from the decaturs webpage:

Dear friends and loyal patrons,

As some of you already know, the Decatur Lounge is in danger of being forced to close if we can not renew our lease by next Saturday. If this happens, it will be a tragedy not only for those of us who will lose our jobs and livelihood, but for every member of the community that has grown to love and depend on Joann and the welcoming open doors of The Decatur Lounge.

Over the past five years that The Decatur has been open, it has become so much more than a bar. It has become a community center, where we all go to share in our collective joys and sorrows; A place where we all feel welcome to commiserate with our friends and neighbors in times of tribulation, and to celebrate in times of happiness. It has been a home to much more than the wonderfully fun parties Joann is famous for throwing; it has been home to countless benefits, fund raisers, and memorials as well.

The closing of The Decatur Lounge will also have a rippling effect on other small businesses through out the city. The Decatur Lounge has helped bring a boon to other local businesses as well. This bar is a beacon in Providence, attracting people from neighboring towns and bringing them into our city, boosting our economy with the revenue they generate for ALL west side business.

And over the past five years, Joann Seddon has become so much more than a business owner. She has been a tireless crusader for all who live in this community. She, when no one else would be willing, has taken in untrained bartenders and given them a job, support, and a second family. She has organized, donated to, and thrown benefits for so many local people in need. Whether it was a car accident, the death of a beloved friend, or a life threatening disease, Joann has always been the first in line to offer all of the support, help, and guidance she could.

Who could forget the beautiful memorial she put together for the loved ones Nate left behind? Or the benefit to help offset Brandon

[jencoleslaw]

The Decatur is more than just a place where you can get a drink. It is like a community center, a weird loud and selfless community center that serves beer and sometimes tacos, where dogs are welcome. This is as place that i truly believe saved me when i needed a "place." Nothing in Providence has even given back to me in a way that the Decatur Community, Joann especially, has. When you work in providence, for providence, you need these little victories. trust me, they are few and far between, after 20+ years, this is pretty much the only one. Hyperbole? Maybe, but true for me, and others i suspect. Even when talking to Joann yesterday, she was still asking how she could help with a fundraiser i'm having in April. Not even knowing what is going on with her own business, she still figures out ways to help other people. I'm not sure i can even say that about most of my own family.

its loss will be deep and even if a different bar goes there that serves beer and has the red sox on 24/7, it will not be the same thing, not by a long shot. I hope a solution can be brokered, otherwise all of us who have any interest in Providence as a community, as a place where you can feel like you belong when you really need to land somewhere after being run over, a place you and your dog can sit, in the long afternoon sun on a summer day, with a book at the bar, and the game on while others work on the crossword or discuss politics--its all gone.

[Liamlunchtray]

Nail on the HEAD, Ms Coleslaw.

The Decatur is more than just a place where you can get a drink. It is like a community center, a weird loud and selfless community center that serves beer and sometimes tacos, where dogs are welcome. This is as place that i truly believe saved me when i needed a "place." Nothing in Providence has even given back to me in a way that the Decatur Community, Joann especially, has. When you work in providence, for providence, you need these little victories. trust me, they are few and far between, after 20+ years, this is pretty much the only one. Hyperbole? Maybe, but true for me, and others i suspect. Even when talking to Joann yesterday, she was still asking how she could help with a fundraiser i'm having in April. Not even knowing what is going on with her own business, she still figures out ways to help other people. I'm not sure i can even say that about most of my own family.

its loss will be deep and even if a different bar goes there that serves beer and has the red sox on 24/7, it will not be the same thing, not by a long shot. I hope a solution can be brokered, otherwise all of us who have any interest in Providence as a community, as a place where you can feel like you belong when you really need to land somewhere after being run over, a place you and your dog can sit, in the long afternoon sun on a summer day, with a book at the bar, and the game on while others work on the crossword or discuss politics--its all gone.

[Jerry2]

This is the funniest thread I have ever read on here. People are portraying the closing of a BAR as if it were some sort of eulogy thats' demise affected millions of people. I'm sure that more than half of the people in protest of this closing don't even patronize the place....Is the real issue that the only defiinitive Anglo evening spot in the area will be closing and the people that invested tons of $$ in a dressed up 3rd world urban slum potentially face property deevaluation because the closing of a white enclave ( "community center") ? BTW...The majority of Pawtucket is just a little bit smaller version of PVD with the same bullcrap...Have a blessed day!

[JJK5]

While I wouldn't put it quite as callously as Jerry has, I do think there's an unwarranted amount of drama in this thread. Neighborhood bars open and close everyday, all over the country. The bar itself is just walls and stools. The memories and community can be taken on down to the next closest watering hole. Sounds like you're all associating your memories with the actual place, rather than the people you shared them with.

[jencoleslaw]

sorry but i don't share your opinion. and i don't read what jerry says because he's such a complete idiot i have him on ignore, but i can assume it was up to his usual standards.

yeah, there's drama around this bar, and place is, in fact, important. Place is important to people, whether you want to believe it or not. Why do you think the West Broadway Elementary School folks are trying to save that school? it isn't just a brick building where kids go five days a week. or when people try to save a building or a park or something that is important to their quality of life in their neighborhood.

Place is something you can hold on to, it is a tangible thing, not just a concept or a feeling. The Decatur is a confluence of events and people and location, not just a tenament house with a bar on the first floor. The Decatur has about a week to find a new location and even if they did find that "perfect place" it probably won't be the same and that is a shame.

If you don't get that--you have a right to be wrong--but don't swagger smugly around the thread with your laissez-faire air, and tell us we're all being hysterical.

[eltron]

This is the funniest thread I have ever read on here. People are portraying the closing of a BAR as if it were some sort of eulogy thats' demise affected millions of people. I'm sure that more than half of the people in protest of this closing don't even patronize the place....Is the real issue that the only defiinitive Anglo evening spot in the area will be closing and the people that invested tons of $$ in a dressed up 3rd world urban slum potentially face property deevaluation because the closing of a white enclave ( "community center") ? BTW...The majority of Pawtucket is just a little bit smaller version of PVD with the same bullcrap...Have a blessed day!

[JJK5]

sorry but i don't share your opinion. and i don't read what jerry says because he's such a complete idiot i have him on ignore, but i can assume it was up to his usual standards.

yeah, there's drama around this bar, and place is, in fact, important. Place is important to people, whether you want to believe it or not. Why do you think the West Broadway Elementary School folks are trying to save that school? it isn't just a brick building where kids go five days a week. or when people try to save a building or a park or something that is important to their quality of life in their neighborhood.

Place is something you can hold on to, it is a tangible thing, not just a concept or a feeling. The Decatur is a confluence of events and people and location, not just a tenament house with a bar on the first floor. The Decatur has about a week to find a new location and even if they did find that "perfect place" it probably won't be the same and that is a shame.

If you don't get that--you have a right to be wrong--but don't swagger smugly around the thread with your laissez-faire air, and tell us we're all being hysterical.

[basachs]

Ha! I live in a dressed up 3rd world urban slum.

dont worry about us delusional white folk jerry. We have other places to congregate. A lot of us just still want to have the Decatur to congregate.

[jencoleslaw]

While I wouldn't put it quite as callously as Jerry has, I do think there's an unwarranted amount of drama in this thread. Neighborhood bars open and close everyday, all over the country. The bar itself is just walls and stools. The memories and community can be taken on down to the next closest watering hole. Sounds like you're all associating your memories with the actual place, rather than the people you shared them with.

[Cotuit]

While Jerry's comments are colored with his usual unnecessary level of condescension, I think him and JJK5 do have a point. If you look at this thread from the point of view of us who have never patronized the Decatur, then indeed it does appear that emotions are way elevated, I'm still waiting for some facts for example. I can identify with people's emotions attached to the place, I can certainly transfer them to places I care about, but as someone who never was part of the 'community' (and who frankly, isn't too upset by missing out judging from some of the comments here), I don't have the same 'the world has ended' feeling about whatever it is that is happening here.

I wish the supporters would put their emotions aside for a minute and tell me what is going on, why is this eviction taking place, are there typical Providence shenanigans happening here, or is this a case where a property owner wants something that s/he perceives as better for him/herself? If the owner is doing bad things to push out good people, then I'm all for getting the Councilman to stamp that out. If the owner is well within the bounds of the law here, then I feel everyone's pain about the loss of their cherished institution, but the legalities of property ownership are what they are.

[Dan Halen]

Hey Jerry

This anglo does not give a flying F what you think. I have been going to the Decatur since it opened. BTW there are plenty of non anglos that patronize the decatur and or work there. Shows what you know. Race baiting idiots make me sad.

Anyone on UP who refers to the decatur as 'just a bar' is truly clueless and really has zero business discussing anything related to culture in providence. End of discussion.

One of the great things about the decatur lounge was that it really brought together several generations of providence artists, musicians, and people in general. It was and is not about the booze.

Joann Seddon is truly a credit to the city of providence, far more than buff chase or some condo developer or renovator some folks get their panties in a twist over. The existences of the club The Rocket and The Decatur Lounge are two of the best things to happen in providence over the last 25 years.