THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 24, 1995 TAG: 9502240557
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ANGELITA PLEMMER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
A Circuit Court judge agreed Thursday to allow operators of the Ebony Showcase nightclub to reopen after they agreed to cater to an older crowd and change their marketing approach.
Hoping to change the club's focus, the operators say they want to lure entertainers like Tom Jones, Wayne Newton, Gladys Knight and Oprah Winfrey, for a taping of her television show.
The club has been closed since October, when the City Council voted to ask the courts to shut it down permanently following a weekend shooting spree and numerous complaints from nearby residents.
During a meeting with Judge L. Cleaves Manning and City Attorney Stuart E. Katz, two of the club's representatives agreed to admit only patrons who are 21 and older, unless the patrons are invited to private banquets.
The club's operators also agreed to stop all entertainment at 1 a.m. and adhere to the city's noise ordinance. If the club violates any part of the agreement, it can be permanently shut down.
Banquets, meetings and wedding receptions will be ``the big part of the business,'' said Theodore Tondrowski, the club's lawyer. ``There are format changes being looked at.'' The club has catered to a young, African-American clientele.
Investors last year proposed targeting the 25-and-over crowd, in addition to playing more Top 40 music mixed with country. They also proposed offering banquet and wedding reception services.
``The city didn't get exactly everything they wanted and we didn't get exactly everything we wanted,'' Tondrowski said.
Tondrowski said the operators have invested thousands of dollars in soundproofing the club to ensure no future noise violations.
Steve Hudson, a sound consultant for the club, said more than $40,000 was spent to place sound-absorbing tiles on the roof and insulation at the doors to reduce the noise. He also said more than a dozen speakers were eliminated and several were lowered to ground level.
``It's a beautiful building and it has a lot of potential,'' Hudson said. ``It would be an asset to Portsmouth if it's presented in the right way.''
Club officials said they expect to reopen the club soon and promoters say the first act they hope to showcase is singer Tom Jones.
``We're making sure that people feel safe when they come here,'' club promoter Carl Whitehead said. ``Security will be very tight.
``We're going to be a people's place,'' Whitehead said. ``We're not just going to be a black club.''
The club, in the 2800 block of Airline Blvd., opened in 1984. It has been plagued by complaints from residents in the nearby Collinswood neighborhood, who call the club a nuisance because of loud music and rowdy patrons.
Initially, the club hoped to target a middle-class black clientele, but decided to appeal to a younger crowd after conflicts with home owners and resultant bad publicity left the nightclub empty most weekends.
Later, the club began targeting college-aged crowds from outside the city, offering bus rides from several universities.
Between April 24 and Sept. 5 last year, club employees were cited and convicted 15 times for noise violations.
In late September, a weekend shooting spree caused panic among the club's 1,700 patrons, police said. They estimated 70 to 90 shots were fired. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
Oprah Winfrey
Tom Jones
by CNB