RICHMOND, VA (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Six months after the Richmond outlet for music venue Toad's Place went under, the location is on track to be re-opened under new ownership.
Dubbed the Hat Factory, in recognition of the building's history as an actual hat factory, a group of investors are working to bring the venue back to life with an eye towards a September re-opening date.
"We think it's going to be a challenging project," Ben Wingrove, vice president of sales at Etix, told Richmond newspaper Style Weekly "Maybe we'll help get things going on the Canal Walk."
The investors, led by the founders of ticketing firm Etix and the owners of the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh also plan to open a restaurant adjacent to the club and the new owners hope that a focus on the downtown lunch crowd will help to underwrite the costs of the venture.
The club's calendar is filling up and features the BoDeans, Cowboy Mouth, Pat McGeee and David Allen Coe.
The building's former tenants, Toad's Place opened their doors at the location in 2007 but closed in March of 2009 after defaulting on their lease. Their sister Toad's Place in New Haven, Connecticut is still popular venue. – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
