Anyone care to help me count the bars that have closed down since the Power & Light District set up shop and has nearly destroyed Kansas City's non-corporate nightlife?
Here are the first few that come to mind:
The Mango Room
Tanner's
The Studio
Bar Natasha
Zin - That's closed isn't it?
This list doesn't count Fred P. Ott's or a few other smaller venues that have closed because they were kinda corporate . . . But the pattern is set and the list will get longer.
Of course, some will blame these places for their own demise and they probably have a point but it's hard not to see a pattern that doesn't at all correspond with the so-called "Downtown Renaissance" . . . In fact, these closings look like the P&L District is having the opposite effect on Kansas City Downtown Business. Now all that's left is a small island of taxpayer subsidized entertainment that seemingly doesn't want to allow people of color or their culture through the door.
If I were a downtown bar owner I would hang in. The herd shifts. People are fickle. Nothing is a sure thing in that business.
ReplyDeleteActually, that's correct.
ReplyDeleteTony, this is not all bad. Often, it's the weaker bars and restaurants that are the ones closing. They're the ones that offer lower levels of service, higher prices, worse food, unappealing atmosphere, or something else less desirable. This thinning removes the establishments that we boozehounds are tired of and opens up their spaces for reuse when the unwashed masses get tired of the Power and White district.
ReplyDeleteI do think it's unfortunate when I see a locally owned establishment closing because of the government subsidized installation of a collection of chain places downtown, but there is a bit of a bright side to this phenomenon.
I have a running list at:
http://thekcguy.com/wiki/index.php/Power_and_Light_Death_Watch
It looks like you may have a couple of places that I missed, so I'll add them. Thanks for the update!
Tony your daily "P&L is ruining KC" rant is getting old. The well-run bars/clubs are still doing fine - I've been at Nara, NV, JP Wine Bar, the Bulldog and other places lately and they've all been packed and in good shape. Westport is still doing fine, as is the Plaza.
ReplyDeleteOther, better places are replacing some of the old ones (13th Street being replaced by Tarrantino's is the best example of this) and as time goes on, it'll balance out.
I dislike going to the P&L a lot myself - its like going to a theme park with alcohol. And I hate all the empty promises from Cordish and AEG surrounding it and the Sprint Center, but its bringing people downtown. As gas prices continue to rise and the downtown housing market steadies, hopefully the Renaissance continues.
Zin has been closed for a few years and had been closed for at least a year before the P&L District opened.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, not all the bar and restaurant closings can be attributed to the P&L. It's a hazardous business, with closings taking place all the time. Even restaurants that have been around a while and seem to be well established bite the dust. If they can't withstand a little competition, maybe they shouldn't stay open.
The owners of Bar Natahsha blamed the economy, not competition from the Power & Light District, for their downturn in business.
ReplyDeleteIf you have Tanner's on your list then Fred P. Ott's should definitely be on the list. Both are local chains and P. Ott's is the smaller chain. But I think the smoking ban hurt P. Ott's more than the P&L did.
ReplyDeleteZin is something ekse now so doesn't count. But you should add Paddy O'Quigley's even though it's a bland chain.
ReplyDeleteZin was sold in 2007 but still remained open for a couple of months.
ReplyDeleteBar Natasha suffered from lack of identity. They could never figure out if they were a gay bar, a restaurant, cabaret. Consistency is the key to successful marketing. And they priced themselves too high for their market. They lost the cocktail hour business and most gay people no longer thought of it as a gay bar so they stayed away.
ReplyDeleteLet's see:
ReplyDeleteBar Natasha = bad service, expensive drinks, tired entertainment = suck
Tanner's = bad food, bad service = suck
The Studio = bad layout, shitty sound system, bad bookings, bad service, expensive prices = suck
Paddy O'Quigleys = corporate sports bar NOT in P&L District = doomed AND suck
Fred P. Ott's = depressing building, bad food, bad location = suck
The Mango Room = bland food, no parking, poor service = suck
Zin = Doesn't count
So really, it's not the smoking ban or the P&L District. It's that these establishments were terrible in the first place. Good riddance.
Ironic that The Studio was where Funkhouser did a grip-n-grin for the media after a walking tour of the P&L District. This was shortly after he took office (and back in the days when "Gloria" evoked a song by Laura Branigan instead of the image of a shrieking harpy).
ReplyDeleteI realize this post is about 6 months old, but just in case someone still reads it, I wanted to put in my two cents. I work at the Zoo Bar downtown (1220 McGee). We are 26 years in the making and still going strong. Our biz is better than ever! The P&L has helped increase our business dramatically from all the people drawn to downtown that go outside the P&L and end up walking around and stumble across us. We don't advertise, we are a dive bar so all we have is word of mouth or repeat customers. Our attraction is cheap drinks, friendly bartenders and a great juke box! Patrons love us and we have many repeat customers now from people who hate the P&L or just get tired of that scene. I'm thankful to that place for drawing the crowd for us!! ~Carol
ReplyDeleteNo joke man, I was in Wesstport a while back and the place was a ghost town. Now, I haven't hung out down there the last two or three years like I used to, but damn. It was Friday night, the weather was awesome and there was hardly anyone there. If I had to guess, I'd say there was less than half of the crowds there were before P&L. Worse than that, the whole vibe of the place has changed...
ReplyDelete