Is Lovejoy's a Potential Smoking Ban Victim?

Here we go again, waving our hands through the Smoking Ban debate, continuing to spread the love around. But this time, oh this time, it feels personal. We are still sorting through stacks of reports, stats, and widely quoted data to try and make sense of all sides involved, so the detailed discussion continues to be worked out. But in the meantime:

Sweet Jesus… Lovejoy’s is sounding the closing alarm. [loud, deep, mournful sigh] The owner, Joseph Tait, is quoted by The Statesman as saying “It's the high cost of doing business versus the low cost of fewer people coming in,” which is a completely confusing statement if you ask us.

We assume he meant “high cost…versus the low[er revenue] of fewer people…” At least, we hope that’s what they meant.

While there is obviously no solid information (yet) as to why such an important, landmark-Austin institution would cut its taps and run, the smoking ban was labeled by Tait as the proverbial final nail in the coffin. He plans to wait things out until the end of SxSW 2006 (March-ish) before putting her down for good.

Man… crap.

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By truecraig in Arts & Entertainment, News on November 18, 2005 4:31 PM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

Justin

Kat, I was just about to make a comment on that. Both Hole in the Wall and Elephant Room smell like the dolphin tank at sea world.

Kat

Almost every bar I've gone to since the smoking ban went into effect has smelled like piss and/or vomit, seemingly much more than it did previously. Look out next for a piss-crud ban. Scrub your toilets or we're shuting you down!!! Sigh...Bars are still gross and I still love them.

ayc

jill, are you really writing from alaska?

Jill

Yes, a tear

Justin

I knew you'd find a way to ruin our moment.

SplendaRob

Lauri - same effect can be observed at the Ritz; the smoke was quite effective at covering up the smell of piss.

Justin - I'd prefer it if you took your anger out on a kitten instead.

Benji

How ironic. Now that LJ's is actually habitable by people who need oxygen to live, it's going down. How weak.

Justin

Ii can't believe I want to high-five SplendaRob. I'm going to go smash a puppy now.

Carol

I like Lovejoys even when it stunk. Chip has sent out closing rumors even before the ban. And he says he won't close until after March, after SXSW. I kind if think he's trying to drum up business. Four months from now we'll see, i guess.

lauri

Lovejoy's was pretty busy last night. It could have been a surge of business due to the news that they're going to close though. I am one of those non-smokers that was previously unwilling to visit Lovejoy's because it smelled like an ashtray inside. Unfortunately, all that smoke was covering up the bathroom smell and now instead of cigarette stench, the bar smells like a toilet.

David

So sad. I never thought I would actually see bars close over the smoking ban. I thought bar owners were being a bit over dramatic but it looks like I was wrong. I loved this bar and I am sad to see it go.

SplendaRob

Yes,

Isn't that a little simplistic? Wasn't the smoking ban supposed to create a stampede of non-smokers taking in all the bars and clubs that they were previously unwilling to visit? Shouldn't Lovejoys have reaped some benefit from all the non-smokers taking in the nightlife?

yes.

don't blame the smoking ban. blame the smokers for not supporting.

sean

[from a forwarded email I got yesterday]

IS LOVEJOYS CLOSING?

Yes, I believe so. Probably at the end of March.

WHY?

Lots of reasons, I suppose.

Here goes....

When I opened Lovejoys in January of 1994 there was no place like it in Austin. Most of the downtown places were either dance clubs, restaurants or music venues. I wanted a place where the whole goal was just to hang out with your friends, make some new friends and share stimulating conversation over a few beers. Community and camaraderie reigned supreme, everything else was periphery.

People responded, and I was thrilled.

Well, the community is different now. There are lots of places that do the same sort of thing we do. You might say we started something and others followed (and improved upon it, perhaps).

I'm not one to complain about competetion... without competetors, one becomes complacent. Unfortunately, thanks to the powers that be, I'm not playing on the same field as many of my competetors.

When I opened Lovejoys there was an APD sub-station across the street. Next to that was a vending company warehouse, and across the street from the warehouse was a parking lot. Over the last 12 years, the APD substation became a crack-dealing convenience store (oh, the irony!), the vending company warehouse is now a soup kitchen, and the parking lot is now a $7-million dollar homeless shelter. How many businesses are going to survive that?

Well, we did.

Then there came the smoking ban.... [rant] Fuck a bunch of no-good, self-righteous yuppie pricks who never even set foot in this place to begin with. [/rant] ... many of my competetors have facilities better suited to deal with Austin's smoking ban. I have no patio, and no place to put one. (NO, not even the roof. The building is historic; you can't mess with it. And even if you could, we're looking at hundreds of thousands of dollars in engineering upgrades.) People are trying to remain loyal, and I appreciate that, but it's just too easy to go to a place where you can have a beer and a smoky treat at the same time.

WHY NOT CHANGE CONCEPTS AND MAKE THE PLACE MORE ATTRACTIVE TO THE NON-SMOKING COMMUNITY?

I never set out to attract smokers in the first place. Read the first paragraph again. I can't help it if the people who are in to what we do also happen to smoke. And I don't want to change my business to accomidate new people, dammit. I like my concept just the way it is. And if I can't have it the way I want it, then fuck it, I'm out.

WOULD YOU SELL IT?

Yes, I would. I do believe that the groundwork I put in place could be altered and imporved upon by someone with a slightly different vision. I do not claim to be the only person who can run a bar. I would get great satisfaction in seeing someone take Lovejoys to the next level (just like Frank did with Emo's). If anyone is seriously interested in buying the place, then contact Don Busby at 383-0016.

Thanks to everyone who has ever brought something to the conversation at Lovejoys. You have all made my life richer.

Celebrate Your Vices!

Chip