OK guys, I know you're fed up with reading about the drama over at Hom, and trust me, I'm sick of writing about it. But it looks like this could be the last update for a while for those who still care.
After reopening as an "upscale, urban club" last weekend, the club was closed again this weekend.
New employees were apparently blindsided about the decision not to reopen in an e-mail sent on behalf of owner Stefan Latorre.
Even managers seem unsure of the future of the club -- one told me on Saturday, "I really have no idea what's going on ... but at this point I don't expect it to be open anymore."
36 comments:
Latorre is a jacka** - period.
Seems like karma has hit Latorre after he blindsided the previous partners by taking the club out from under them. Looks like the Hom curse is here to daty for a while.
After reopening as an "upscale, urban club" last weekend, the club was closed again this weekend.
Grand opening Grand closing. Ha Chris Rock was right
Get a clue, build something the neighborhood will support. Something different and new. We have plenty of bars and dance clubs. Not everyone in the city is 21 years old.
How about a live Blues and Jazz club ? Skip the food because that's where you always fail. Skip the venue geared at the kiddies, they fail in this local as well. Offer the mid 30's and up crowd a place to come. They are the ones with the cash and the ones that desperately need a place in uptown where they aren't forced to rub elbows with kids.
And please ... SMOKE FREE inside. Smoking on the multi level patio.
Just a though.
I am not surprised. Those guys are SHADY. I worked for them for a weekend and they shorted us on pay, were completely disorganized, unprofessional and rude. I'd never trust that Latorre crew, especially not his managers. They're only out to line their pockets no matter who they step on along the way. Dirt balls!
To Anon 11:59, skipping the food is hard because in order to serve liquor in NC the place needs to either serve food or be a private club. Being a private club means you show up, but can't go in without a member as there is a mandatory 3 day waiting period to process new memberships. It's a bit silly, but those are the rules.
Alley Cat got in trouble recently for not doing this and Suite will too if they don't crack down. ALE fines aren't fun.
I'm still in my 20s but would LOVE a jazz or blues club! A nice glass of wine and some great live music would be a welcome change.
who cares and good riddance.
I 2nd the need for a Blues/Jazz club. If there is one area where the Charlotte nightlife needs major improvement, it's the Uptown live music scene (which is pretty much non-existent).
What about a Chuck-E-Cheese? There's nothing downtown for the kiddies.
Oh, wait. I forgot about Bar Charlotte.
We have one of the best blues clubs in the country about 1 mile away from Hom - The Double Door Inn on Independence (or Charlottetown Road now). Check it out. Legends have played there: Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy just to name two. It was voted top blues club in the country some time back but it is still the best place to catch a live show. It is not for the wine and cheese crowd. But if you are into real blues in a real blues environment head over there. I promise you will not be disappointed.
Totally agree with those wanting, needing, a over-30s club for those that don't care for the kiddie bars.
A really nice jazz club in Uptown would be awesome.
A real jazz club with real martinis and cigar areas.
The Double Door is good, but a place inside the 277 loop would be good. I certainly agree that the Center City has MORE than enough places catering to the early 20s crowd. But that's how Charlotte seems to operate - find one new thing, then over-build to that one segment until the market is so saturated no one can make a buck off it. Through the 90s and start of this decade, you would have thought that Charlotte was made up of nothing but millionaires, based on all the multi-million dollar condos and $75-a-plate restaurants that were built. Then the developers suddenly figured out there are only a handful of millionaires around here and that they had built too much for that tiny niche. The same thing is happening now with over-building to the 21-year-old constant partying crowd. It would be wonderful to have a jazz club for us 30-somethings to hang out at.
blues bar isnt definately needed. a stiff drink and cigar. stuff not for kids
Who has time to go downtown and frequent clubs on every weekday and weekend....... ohh yeah "the kiddies".... Double Door on independence is awesome, the one at the lake isn't too bad either. I feel dumb saying that, because it's the fact that a lot know and most don't that makes it so much fun.
I'm in my early 20s and nothing about Hom appealed to me. Hom was definitely for a special breed of people. Unfortunately for those who keep saying Charlotte has enough places for the early 20s crowd, you aren't necessarily correct. Each of the places at EpiCenter and other dance clubs/bars in the area, seemingly geared toward our generation, are packed on a regular basis. As long as they continue to fill up and make money, they will continue to open new ones. You won't get a high concentration of bars/clubs geared towards an older crowd because they won't draw significant crowds consistently. There can only be a couple at a time for the 30s+ crowd, any more than that and they will always have a sparse crowd.
I went to Nashville recently and found live, good music at all five bars we went to. And it sounded like we skipped some good ones! No cover, no attitude, and people of all ages and backgrounds having a good time.
I know we'll never have the musical influence of other towns but if someone here discovers the power of GOOD live music, appeal to all ages, and affordability, they'll build a gold mine that won't go out of style in 4 years like the rest of them.
Anon 4:10 -- Just FYI, Double Door at the Lake closed last month.
4:20, love you forever for understanding that live music in REAL settings cannot be topped but I've got to say that Nashville is Nashville, music capital of the universe.
CLT should not expect to hit that level -- heck, I bet a couple of the players you saw in Nashville were from the metro Charlotte area. The draw of the established music biz there is massive and guarantees a steady flow of good players to round out live bands.
Having said all that, CLT really seems stuck in high school on the whole live music vs. DJ thing. And maybe that explains why everything seems to skew 20s.
The Double Door is great but I stopped going years ago so I wouldn't need an iron lung. It's impossible to breath in there because the ceilings are low, the amount of smoking is insane and there is no ventilation. Makes me sad because it is a great place besides that.
I believe I just heard on the news last week that the topic of doing away with the 3-day wait for clubs is coming up for review very soon.
As for the 30 something and up crowd I do think that they could pack a place if given the chance. Jonathan's Jazz Cellar of years gone by (basement of what is now Fox and Hound) was always packed. There's plenty of cities that have a large amount of venues catering to that age demographic and they flourish. The problem is all that Charlotte knows is 20 something nightclubs and that's it. Nothing wrong with that, they all have there place. But it's just a thought Latorre, maybe it's time to try something different than everyone else ?
Jazz in the cellar, Blues in the attic and a Comedy Club on the main level. That should generate enough biz for ya.
Hmm the thirty somethings who aren't gay or don't have suitable DNA to reproduce are busy spending money on their children LOL
To Anon 5:03 PM...
Us 30 somethings that are married and enjoy going out don't want to be around you kiddies who think wearing an Ed Retardy T-Shirt is a style. We want a real drink and don't mind spending money when we are out. You can keep your dollar night beer and trying to pick up girls with black x's on their hands. We do want to thank the kiddos for giving us great laughs to see how stupid you act on weekends though.
No one should be holding their breath for any of these things to happen. The bottom line is that Stefan LaTorre is an incredibly prolific douche when it comes to development and the entertainment biz. He needs to deflate his ego, stick to his law credentials, and stop trying to be something he isn't. He was dumb enough to buy two of the worst and biggest spaces in uptown - the Menage/Hom space and the Twist/Daddy's space. Too big and utterly unusable for 99% of businesses looking in uptown. Go figure what Avenue and 4th ward residents get to enjoy there now...crickets and bums.
I want to know how or why Bar Charlotte is STILL crowded after all these years? Honestly, that place is trash.
It reminds me of an earlier post when they announced they were re-opening...GRAND OPENING...GRAND CLOSING!!!!
Anonymous April 13, 2009 5:03 PM said...
Hmm the thirty somethings who aren't gay or don't have suitable DNA to reproduce are busy spending money on their children LOL.
Listen douche bag, most 30 somethings uptown do not have children. Most 40 somethings are married with no children or grown children and most of their bank accounts would make you look like a toothless hobo. There's plenty of money in 4th Ward in this age range. Give them something that's worth their time and they will support it.
Yes, I do have to agree with the poster about the children giving us something to laugh about. It is hysterical. I especially love the 21 year old bimbos all with their bleached white hair and mini skirts in January when it's in the mid 20's outside. That's the funniest damn thing I've seen yet. Nowhere but in Charlotte can you see such stupidity. Go to NYC or any other real metro area and see what the girls are wearing in the winter. Sexy dresses under warm winter coats. Now that's sexy, unlike the street walker looking fools in this town.
Ohhhhh, but it is so much fun to watch.
Latorre,
Break up the 3 levels into a bunch of smaller spaces for rent. Make it a small festival feeling location. This way you get your space rented and people that can't afford to start a biz in uptown will now be able to do so due to the smaller spaces and cost. You could have artists, small food venders, pizza by the slice, etc., etc., etc.
Sort of like French Quarter uptown.
"Go to NYC or any other real metro area and see what the girls are wearing in the winter. Sexy dresses under warm winter coats. Now that's sexy, unlike the street walker looking fools in this town."
That's because the girls here are trailer trash. No style at all - just pure trash.
^^^
Agreed, pure trash.
Forget about trying to have a conversation with one of them either. It's like 1980's Valley Girl meets 1970's brain dead Suzanne Summers from Three's Company.
They are only good for one thing and only one time at best. Even that is questionable. Glad I am married to a great Northern woman.
Jesus, for us being the "kiddos," you douchebags sure do act like children.
^
Jesus is a myth.... kiddo.
The Double Door Inn lost it's blues cred awhile ago, blues are a secondary focus for them now that they are adding more pop and roots acts to appeal to a younger clientele
Having been a cocktail waitress at HOM both times, I can tell you first hand, Latorre ruins everything he touches!
He doesn't care about anyone else's benefit but his own. This time around he had us wasting an entire month, without pay, only to tell us, at the end, we weren't opening. He didn't even have the balls to tell us over the phone, or in person. He had his lawyers send us an email!!!
Wish he'd give up and leave Charlotte all together.
Everyone was soooooooo right about him, and his venues. I, unfortunately, had to learn the hard way.
Next time.
Hom was already smoke free dorks. And thats part of the reason it failed. Not enough people wanna rage and have fun in a huge club on the weekends sipping 20 dollar martinis then go outside to puff.
So lets see, the non smokers are the "Dorks" as you put it. Hmmmnnnn, it's 2009 and the last time I heard "Dorks" was in the late 1980's. About the same era that it was still "cool" to smoke.
Here's a new updated word for you...... "LOSER".
Go cough up that lung, you will surely not be missed.
Good riddance!
Wonder what he will do with those sound systems now... Two of the very best in the country have been utterly wasted in that place. Shame.
I see today that the space is up "for lease".
How long until another failed "bar" will go in ?
Get a clue, get a different concept besides a bar. You cannot compete in Uptown with the Epicenter and soon the NC Music Factory. These 2 mega destinations will suck you dry.
Organic market (not one uptown)
Crepe restaurant (not one uptown)
Belgian Beer House (not one anywhere)
A mini French Quarter/Brevard Court (one that is actually opened on the weekends and would be supported by 4th Ward residents)
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