I saw it today, myself, but didn't get close enough. I'm doubting the panels are wood, or even like wood. The sign made me laugh, though, with the cartoon beaver with his exaggeratedly bucked teeth.
I was by there, and it is looking better than it was, still not the best though. I think the most important thing to look at here is that a bar/club operator from outside the area chose to invest in downtown Lansing, that says something about the strength of our entertainment district. I hope that more are to come.
I agree Hood, a good sign from an external investment in downtown. What I'm excited about is that as Tavern moves down the street, the 200 block of Washington Sq. is going to be a net zero change in numbers of bars. This is important for me because the 200 block is the core block for bars in addition to the core Stadium district bar scene. With Tavern and Troppo at the corner of Mich. and Wash., hopefully these two cores will be significantly more connected with walking traffic, especially with the addition of Tin Can. But with the Wild Beaver Saloon, this is accomplished without any loss to one of the two core districts so this is really looking promising for one large entertainment district from MBC all the way to Stobers. As this builds, I think some places like the Pita Pit will be more likely to stay open late as they tried unsuccessfully before. Jimmy John's already seems to be doing well at this, and in the summer with the bbq going Downtown Subs is doing well also at this.
On a similar note, I had lunch at Tavern today, and there was steady seating so much that the manager had to help serve a little and he apologized saying "we didn't expect this many people on a Sunday and especially on Easter so we only have the one server." JJ's was open till 10pm tonight and seemed steady also.
I thought that I even heard that the owner of Tavern on the Sq planned to open up a new bar in its old location after it moves. Also, I had seen an application for a liquor license with dance permit for 408 S Washington a couple months ago. That would be just down from MBC, next to the cigar shop. As for the Stadium District area, there's that new bar/restaurant slated for the Stadium District building and the supposed re-opening of 621 and the Blue Coyote. That should end up being a gain of five bars assuming all of go through.
I love Jimmy Johns late hours. I'm actually not much a fan of sandwiches, but I simply like what them being open that late proves for the downtown area. I'd love to see some 24-hour breakfast joint on the Square. I have no doubt in my mind that something like that would make a killing. I'd always wished, for instance, that the Old Town Diner had latter hours than it did. As an example, the Theo's next door to Mac's on Michigan Avenue has done good business for years. I'd also like to see an urban-themed Quality Dairy on some downtown corner.
On another note, I really worry about the Downtown Dog House. No restuarant has been able to stay in that location more than a few years, and every time I'm by the place it looks really empty just as it did when it was Skyline Chili and Famous Taco. I think it's just at a terrible location because of being on a one-way street where everyone just zooms by.
I agree on the Downtown Doghouse. It would be really nice to see Allegan go two-way, it may allow for more businesses to open up on that street. The only thing that may have a chance in that location as-is would be a bar or club of enough significance to grab peoples attention. Who knows though, Downtown Doghouse may get lucky.
Downtown Dog House is actually both a restaurant and bar. I ordered take-out there from them (it was either Christmas or New Years, and I was surprised to find them open). It's a really cool layout with some single, sit-down swivel stools at the counter around an open cooking-area, and booths along the remaining sides with the bar tucked away in the back with pool tables and such. It has a nice, laid-back feel that make for an great neighborhood bar. There just doesn't seem to be enough of a neighborhood clientele, yet, to support it. It's definitely not what you'd call a destination bar, but I don't think everything downtown has to be a destination; it's why I've been waiting to see more local kind of neighborhoods shops open so it'll become a real neighborhood, and you'd definitely think that at least off the square you could get this type of retail and services going.
On a related note, I'm interested to see the population numbers for the track that covers most of Washington Square (north of Kalamazoo). When they did the Census in 2000, they only found 45 people living in the CBD, which I thought sounded bogus even for then. Even though the tract doesn't cover the Arbaugh, I'm hoping that they'll get a much more accurate count this time around. It'll also be interesting to see the count for the tracts that cover the whole downtown. We've added hundreds of units since 2000.
Comments
On a similar note, I had lunch at Tavern today, and there was steady seating so much that the manager had to help serve a little and he apologized saying "we didn't expect this many people on a Sunday and especially on Easter so we only have the one server." JJ's was open till 10pm tonight and seemed steady also.
Sorry if that was a bit rambling.
I love Jimmy Johns late hours. I'm actually not much a fan of sandwiches, but I simply like what them being open that late proves for the downtown area. I'd love to see some 24-hour breakfast joint on the Square. I have no doubt in my mind that something like that would make a killing. I'd always wished, for instance, that the Old Town Diner had latter hours than it did. As an example, the Theo's next door to Mac's on Michigan Avenue has done good business for years. I'd also like to see an urban-themed Quality Dairy on some downtown corner.
On another note, I really worry about the Downtown Dog House. No restuarant has been able to stay in that location more than a few years, and every time I'm by the place it looks really empty just as it did when it was Skyline Chili and Famous Taco. I think it's just at a terrible location because of being on a one-way street where everyone just zooms by.
On a related note, I'm interested to see the population numbers for the track that covers most of Washington Square (north of Kalamazoo). When they did the Census in 2000, they only found 45 people living in the CBD, which I thought sounded bogus even for then. Even though the tract doesn't cover the Arbaugh, I'm hoping that they'll get a much more accurate count this time around. It'll also be interesting to see the count for the tracts that cover the whole downtown. We've added hundreds of units since 2000.