Mark Hemphill looking to open a New Club in Five Points?

[stephendare]

Downtown nightclub empire builder Mark Hemphill is considering joining Jonathan Insetta and Biscotti's in the small club of business owners with multiple locations in the urban core.

With the successes of Mark's and The Dive Bar on Bay Street the universally well regarded Mr. Hemphill is considering a possible third venue in Five Points.

A Mark's style club in Five Points might be enough to fully revive the entertainment district.

Especially since the final death throes of Fuel have thrashed out on Park Street.

The neighborhood has been through a few radical changes over the past year as Paleoclub  owner Neil Levitsky sold the fairly legendary Starlight after the tragic and untimely death of another Riverside icon, Linda Adcock.

Interestingly he sold the venue to the same ownership group which has opened the incredibly hip Steamworks pub, giving them a stake in two seperate venues in the district.

Jim Webb, having settled into more comfortable digs in Ragland's, has finally given up the ghost at Fuel.

With the departure of a live music venue and the conversion of the Five Points Theater into a movie venue, late night has been a little sparce in the area.

Although Alvah is opening up the old Heartworks gallery space as a coffeehouse and a retail space for Blue Buddha spices, herbs and products.  He plans on being open late night again.

A Hemphill nightclub might be the very cure.

[Shwaz]

I think a bar /club like Mark's or Dive Bar would fit the new transformation of 5 points well especially in the soon to be former Fuel location. What will have to the live shows the Imperial puts on there?

Neil Levitsky sold the fairly legendary Starlight

Do you know of any renovation plans for Starlite? It did well as a divebar (true definition not comparison to the "Dive-bar" on Bay St.) but I still thought it was a waste of a good venue/ location. The layout to the facilities were pretty bad. The patio is fairly nice, with an upgraded interior tomatch that place could be awesome.

[David]

I'd hope a new club in 5 points would at least try to mimmick some of the area's local flavor. I'd think something with the same format as Marks or Dive would stand out a bit. Then again I'm basised as i'm holding on to the grungy memories from my earlier years.

[Shwaz]

5 points really insn't that "grundgy" anymore... epecially if Starlite gets a makeover.

I have a soft spot for the old days too - of concerts at Club 5, finding new music at Now Hear This and buying crazy hair dyes at Edge City but those days are over.

[fsu813]

The Fans N Stoves building at the corne is also for sale, though it will contiue to do business until it finds a buyer. It's been up for sale for about a year. The asking price is a little over 1 million, I think.

It's being sold by Grant-Dooley, who sold the 5 Points Theater/Office building to Shad.

The Fans N Stoves building has a lot of sq footage, and it's on the corner. It could also be a good location for a bar/club.

[Lucasjj]

I would love a full scale bar/club to be in Five Points. I usually go to Starlite or O'Brothers once a week and to have another option to drink at would be great.

[David]

5 points really insn't that "grundgy" anymore... epecially if Starlite gets a makeover.

I have a soft spot for the old days too - of concerts at Club 5, finding new music at Now Hear This and buying crazy hair dyes at Edge City but those days are over.

Yeah but it's still a far cry from San Marco. Sure, now It's got more to do, more to offer and some  and the patrons of the local establishments aren't all 16 anymore, but you can still feel the pull of its counterculture roots. If it does become like San Marco or all the venues become like Bay street, it'll take away from the area's charm. It would definitely cause me to make the jump to Springfield if Park st becomes infested with dbags.

I know people who felt the same way when club 5 closed its doors. And judging by the "yuppies go home" tag that's still spray painted on the welcome to 5 points sign, I know I’m not the only one who feels that way!

Toldja I was biased 

But hey, if it pulls a crowd and gives the area another option, that's great.

[Shwaz]

Yeah but it's still a far cry from San Marco. Sure, now It's got more to do, more to offer and some  and the patrons of the local establishments aren't all 16 anymore, but you can still feel the pull of its counterculture roots. If it does become like San Marco or all the venues become like Bay street, it'll take away from the area's charm. It would definitely cause me to make the jump to Springfield if Park st becomes infested with dbags.

I know people who felt the same way when club 5 closed its doors. And judging by the "yuppies go home" tag that's still spray painted on the welcome to 5 points sign, I know I’m not the only one who feels that way!

Toldja I was biased 

I believe it feels that way to you because you were there in the counter-culture hayday. The transformation isn't just "happening" it's almost complete. Club 5 is now a movie theater and owned by a car dealer, the clothing stores are all expensive name brands / local brands and are more "high fashion" than ever before - even the thrift store is over priced. Fans & Stoves is on the market and I could see it becoming the "Twisted Martini" of Riverside. Expensive lofts / condos have replaced dilapidated old buildings and even the streets / landscaping has been made over.

The patrons of 5 points will always be a little more edgy than most parts of town but the business’s and state of 5 points itself will evolve to a newer nicer strip… it has to.

[konstantconsumer]

yikes.  i would hate to see something like mark's in 5 points. 

[TREE4309]

As long as they have a respectable beer selection and I don't have to pay cover or adhere to a strict dress code, I'm game for whatever Mark may bring to 5 Points.  Like David, I'm a fan of the "casual" lifestyle that Riverside is known for and I would prefer to see any new night spots cater to the local crowd than the yuppies, but either way, I'd rather have another watering hole option than another vacant space left to fall into disrepair.

[Steve]

I don't think a carbon copy of Mark's would work so well in 5 Points (however I do like Mark's, even though I kind of like Ivy's Saturday Night Better).

With that said, this guy has two successful places going, so he must have some clue as to what it takes to run a place.

[marksjax]

Steven, thanks for the mention.

Although I did inquire about the Fuel space, for the record I do not see a club with me involved happening in Five Points right now. Build out costs are expensive and most of those older buildings would require a lot of work. If one of the landlords wanted to do the build out and bring them up to code for a tenant that might be tempting.

Regards, Mark H.

[mtraininjax]

Fans & Stoves is on the market and I could see it becoming the "Twisted Martini" of Riverside.

Good luck getting RAP to approve converting a retail store into a nightclub with all that is already on the strip. Frankly, its not needed either. Take Fuel out back shoot the dead horse and revitalize the old Peterson's store with something that has a chance. Do a full renovation of the area and turn it into something that can last, and people will come to it.

Mark's does well because it is upscale, and caters to an upscale crowd. People from the hotels and berkman. Ivy caters to UNF students, mainly because of the owners, (4 UNF grads and 1 silent partner). Both have room for growth, but what would a Mark's in 5 Points cater to? What is 5 points best known for? Eclectic, bring back the Fuel vibe and it will do well. Pull from Springfield and Riverside. Try to get to fancy, listen to the crickets.

[Ron Mexico]

5 Points still has reputation for being more of a "fringe" area where the people are more artistic in nature.  Trying to convert it to a more sterile environment would be bad.  Other than people getting their eyes gouged out because they talked to someone's girlfriend, or getting mugged in parking lot behind Wall St., it really has a positive vibe.

[TREE4309]

Eye gouging was apparently drug-related.  Muggings happen everywhere.

Is your avatar a picture of Jesse Camp?  Oh man...