A door on the side of a downtown conglomerate of stores, the front not back door, has a sign telling delivery drivers to deposit items in back — but the sign is flipped upside down since the tape slipped. A blipped language I don’t speak.
But that’s not the only thing that’s flipped in the downtown. Lots of stores are either open as we speak, or will be soon. We’re talking still in May, maybe, and mostly earlier than later. While we wait with baited breath for the full opening of Max’s Social House. And a pub or another hub music club.
Newly open for business is 2nd Street Mercantile, showing the new vision of owner Vicki Wallace and the various vendors with different types of goods she is bringing in. Yes, to the variety of people who have happened in and remarked that the inventory is different, from the former store at the location in the middle of the 500 block of — what would you expect — Second Street, named At House, has by its owner been consolidated with another across the street, named The 715. It’s had its front door propped open to welcome you and the warm weather.
A couple of doors up from 2nd Street Mercantile, Kelly’s pub and grill also has had its door propped, but for a different reason — bringing in from a large van more construction items for an opening soon. They are holding firm to a promise to make it in May, probably well before the end. So you can buy a sleeveless shirt before they’re gone, or more likely a different trinket or keepsake, then have lunch or dinner too.
— And for bands — plural and that means not just two as there is a battle of the bands and that’s just for starters, think the best of KISS to kick it off — and not the usual ones whose guitar solos, if they have them, are not the same old ones as you’ve heard too many times before, check out the GasLite at length on Saturday for the Rally In The Valley, south end, and a little east as we are talking Ellsworth. Southern rock? South of Heaven? Southern Man, but singing songs about the southland? Southern Cross? Check back at this site soon for more details, such as the finalized band names, as judging from our purview info that’s based on a preliminary preview, this is a show, or shows, you won’t want to miss. Music starts at noon, with a total of eight bands, and there’s plenty of freebies, too, like camping and even beer if you play it right. And those two closing featured bands are, The Coveralls (good name, like Coverdale) and ShuffleCats (also cool name, like Stray Cats.) The former plays all genres, from Alanis Morissette to Machinehead, and the latter boasts 33 years of original blues-rock. There are also vendors and food trucks. —
Or, again across the street, nearly directly, Urban Olive and Vine, which sadly closed almost exactly a year ago after the passing of ill co-owner Carol Trainor, promises to re-open, as per its sign on its door and glossy lettering on the windows saying Urban Table, in late spring or early summer. So we don’t have long to wait for another much differing music and eating option to hit around the mid-downtown. We’ve missed, those among us who had opted for different kinds of jazz, having a place to go.
Closest to the waterfront, and remaining open during reconstruction, Pier Fivehundred has a large area remained closed off and filled with more concrete walls being established, plywood and fencing and sand, and with one very noteworthy change — the large boulder-based wall that it had been known for has been removed. Some retaining walls are in its place, or just more piles of sand. On the far northeast end of the patio, tables with chairs on a cement floor can be seen.
But now for music, as for Max’s, which started its redo from Ziggy’s and completed its purchase of Hop N Barrel late last year, there a couple of weeks ago was a barrel of fun going on as there were three big metal vats that had been used for brewing sitting out between the two buildings. (For wooden beer barrels you would have to go to Milwaukee.) So hey, they have been removed, but progress is being made — however, plywood on the front windows still obscures sight of stepladders in the closed downstairs. But as two fans said as they sat on the steps next to the front door, which is not in operation, there still are bands (plural) on many days upstairs. Word on the street is that Max’s in its entirety will be open in time for Memorial Day weekend.
Less is the progress with the empty two-fold area that housed the shoe store downtown, or the bigger grassy lot that has long set vacant, which replaces the building that was most known for housing a scuba shop, which would be hopping this time of year.
But this is spring, and with it comes hopes of renewal and renewed opportunities. For commerce and summer fun. But I leave you now with hopes that the Wolves don’t go the way of the Wild and whiff, waylaying it with lots of easy layups in their elimination game at home on Friday. Or rather in that other cager series of contests, that team being backed by a new rookie with first-games-straight, record-tying, double-single for points and assists, so going and leading the way of the series-leading Lynx. Go ladies. We need another series of sports-bar games. Somebody help me!