Q: You were initially hoping to reopen in January 2007. What happened?
A: It took us a long time to find a place. We probably looked at about 30 or 40 places before settling on this one. But, like they say, ‘Location, location, location,’ and we think we got a great one.

Q: What changes can we expect?
A: We’ll be bringing in the name artists Thursday through Sunday, instead of six nights [a week]. Then, because we’re right in the middle of so many colleges with music programs, we’ll probably be doing student groups and sessions with local guys like Willie Pickens or Von Freeman the rest of the week.

Q: What excites you most about the new location?
A: The fact that I can stop being a couch potato. I’ve been going to bed at 8 and getting up at 7. That’s not a respectable life for a club owner.

Photography: 2001 By Scott Pollard