September 16,2011

September 16,2011

1.) Well as some of you have read maybe earlier or heard from the website, the Spitfire is for sale. I think I have commented on this before. There have been several different people interested, but there main problem of course is getting financing from banks or they are not happy with the price, well the price is the price and I am not changing it. But just because the bar is for sale does not mean I just sit and wait for someone to buy, I have to keep moving forward and do what we do as the Spitfire. I am perfectly comfortable with the idea that it may take several years for it to sell and that is probably what will happen and then we might not even sell. So that all being said, I am moving on making the practice spots above the bar. This of course being the plan since day one when we bought the building. I would regret if we sold the bar and have not finished all parts of my “masterpiece” called the Spitfire. There will be 4 practice spots and they will be soundproofed shit holes, of course you should expect no less. I was going to get them all done at once and then I decided to make one room at a time and rent them out as I finish them. I should have the first room done by mid October. Here is a link to see layout

if link does not work here is the address punkrockbar.com/page14.html
2.) Secondly– The Ohio Liquor Control finally cashed our renewal payment. I have been stressing because its been taking like 3 weeks. That means that our new permit is in the mail (thank god!) If you recall the last several years the Five O’clock has been shutdown the first week in October. All Northeast Ohio liquor permits expire September 30th at midnight. When you do not pay your sales tax, Liquor control will not renew your Liquor License. As was the case with the 5, we will see if they close again this year.. Part of owning a bar is learning how to balance the flood of bills and taxes and deciding which ones are important and which ones aren’t . Everyone knows this juggling your own bills when things are tight. Just like you need to pay your car payment, because if you do not have a car how are you going to get to work and make money to live. I will say it right now, I very much dislike the way the Five O’clock does things (as I am sure they do I). I hear many things that just piss me off in the way they are operating. One night about eight months ago I was watching a band and the guy that was the booking dude at the time said “ I think this bands sucks, but we are trying to steal the “now that’s class’s crowd” wtf ( I think Angelo would have a heart attack if the actual Class crowd took over his bar).. Then I heard from another source that the Five O’clock would not let one particular band play because the band members where not very attractive looking. They also fired their sound guy because his band played the Spitfire. Then they go and builds a patio and do not pull a permit for it. There is a way that things are done when any construction is done especially in a commercial building and when it comes to building a patio. There are hoops that have to be met. 1.) you submit plans for a proposed patio, that will go to a review board, making sure that you meet any requirements by that municipality. Then they approve it (usually with some restrictions like when it can be open and such). 2.) Next you build it then you apply to the division of liquor control to have you license extend onto your patio and they come and inspect it (so people can have drinks taken out on it). So if this process is not followed you are illegally having people drink on your patio. This whole process can take a year. If you get caught as an owner you are facing a couple thousand dollars in fines. They actually can give you a $500 fine for each person drinking on a illegal patio or outside a bar. That is why we are dicks when anyone takes drinks outside cause it cost me a ton of money if we get busted. SO DO NOT TAKE DRINKS OUTSIDE! Most of this section I wrote 24 hours ago and was hesitant about saying anything negative about another business, we are all just trying to get the bills paid. But when I keep hearing things how people are operating and the way they treat people and they do not let bands play there unless they are pretty (so if your band plays there you must be a good looking band) and the list goes on I am sure, plus the first 2 years we opened Angelo was crying we stole the 5’s patrons, no we did not steal anyone’s patrons, we were supplying a product that was needed and had a demand for and no one at the time was filling and we did not take anyone else product and modify it, we made our own thing, now the climate has changed and there are many places to go that are all doing similar things (lucky for the consumer) . But that being said the 5 has been opened a long time and that is how a successful biz has to be run to stay open and I just do not have it in me to treat people like that. Well I am posting this and it is not normally my style to bad mouth anyone but fuck it, there it is