if
it's about Cardiff..
Sport, Entertainment, Transportation, Business,
Development Projects, Leisure, Eating, Drinking,
Nightlife, Shopping, Train Spotting! etc.. then we want it here!
Shame fire island shut on the day Bruce Springsteen played the stadium. They might have made some cash...
Talk going round of a Womanby Street music festival august bank holiday weekend, bringing all the bars together to raise profile. could be good if well done.
Bad news. I loved Fire Island, although I've been surprised how many people who I thought would also love it and didn't..I thought it was spot on really although maybe a tad pricey.
If all three of the beatbox bars shut, that is very bad news. One closing (and no doubt reopening in a few months as something else) is all part of the ever changing night life of any city, but three independently owned venues closing in one go is bad news indeed.
ten feet tall and buffalo were good bars, fire island was not. it was rubbish. only my opinion and nothing more than that.
Beatbox's other two bars, Buffalo and Ten Feet Tall, are both successful music venues with 4am licences. Fire Island seemed like quite a different venue - concentrating on the food and drink offering, perhaps because it failed to get a late licence.
To be honest, I think the place was actually a bit too trendy to attract the casual drinkers that could have made it a success. Without the late licence it wasn't going to get the crowd that made their other sites successful. Of course I could have it all wrong and it was simple mismanagement that got them into trouble. Really hope somebody can make a go of the venues though.
Now the venue is clean and tidy, and structurally sound, it will be a lot easier for someone else to take it on. I just hope it is someone good. Remember that awful wales themed rugby pub plan?
Brewdog has confirmed on twitter that its scouts are out in Cardiff for a venue. I'd imagine that Fire Island will be on their radar
That would be pretty cool - I think I read somewhere that they are looking for corner premises...otherwise somewhere like Liquid/Philharmonic might have done?
If they do come I seriously hope the Council act sensibly...
According to todays Echo, it seems the licensing committee are erring on the side of not adopting a late night levy on bars, which I think is very good news.
Seems that the Labour administration are a bit more liberal and sensible on the night time economy than the Lib Dems.
A friend of mine says that Fire Island is to be bought by Tiny Rebel, the brewery in Newport. They were one of the only places to have them on tap, too.
A friend of mine says that Fire Island is to be bought by Tiny Rebel, the brewery in Newport. They were one of the only places to have them on tap, too.
That would be interesting. TR are obviously people with very sharp marketing skills and their beer is teriffic. I'm wondering whether the proximity to the City Arms would be a plus or a minus ie would be competition for the real ale market or critical mass for older drinkers.
There are the makings of a sort of bohemian / Camden Lock vibe around Womanby Street. It might be the way to go for that part of town.
I heard that rumour too. Apparently they are backed by a very wealthy person?
I think the principle of the bar works fine, and is helped by City Arms and the other bars. The problem, reading between the lines, is the age old problem of servicing the debt.
That might suggest that Fire Island did less well than Beatbox Bars hoped, but that doesn't mean that with another group, with less or no debt that it wouldn't be very viable.
Interesting. Anybody know of he has any interesting plans for it? On a related note. What's happened to the Alice in Wonderland themed club in Life/Liquid? Seems to have gone ever so quiet on that front
Interesting. Anybody know of he has any interesting plans for it? On a related note. What's happened to the Alice in Wonderland themed club in Life/Liquid? Seems to have gone ever so quiet on that front
(former) Council killed it with their ludicrous saturation policy
Interesting. Anybody know of he has any interesting plans for it? On a related note. What's happened to the Alice in Wonderland themed club in Life/Liquid? Seems to have gone ever so quiet on that front
(former) Council killed it with their ludicrous saturation policy
I think a licence was granted on condition one specific person operated it (I believe it's someone that used to run Luminar Leisure?)
I think they own the Navigation in Abercynon and have an occasional bar in the brewery in Newport. The Landsdowne is the only Cardiff pub I know that sells their beers on a regular basis.
They're very new. They've only been going a year or two but seem to stand out from other micro-breweries in terms of branding and marketing. They seem to be sharp people and I hope it goes well for them.
I think they own the Navigation in Abercynon and have an occasional bar in the brewery in Newport. The Landsdowne is the only Cardiff pub I know that sells their beers on a regular basis.
They're very new. They've only been going a year or two but seem to stand out from other micro-breweries in terms of branding and marketing. They seem to be sharp people and I hope it goes well for them.
I think they own the Navigation in Abercynon and have an occasional bar in the brewery in Newport. The Landsdowne is the only Cardiff pub I know that sells their beers on a regular basis.
They're very new. They've only been going a year or two but seem to stand out from other micro-breweries in terms of branding and marketing. They seem to be sharp people and I hope it goes well for them.
I think they own the Navigation in Abercynon and have an occasional bar in the brewery in Newport. The Landsdowne is the only Cardiff pub I know that sells their beers on a regular basis.
They're very new. They've only been going a year or two but seem to stand out from other micro-breweries in terms of branding and marketing. They seem to be sharp people and I hope it goes well for them.
A little more info on beat box bars administration:
"A company which owned three city centre nightspots went into administration with debts totalling £1.37m, according to its statement of affairs.
Welsh Government body Finance Wales is owed £243,974, while Cardiff council is owed £46,682, the document lodged with Companies House shows.
The paper also states HM Revenue and Customs is owed £328,706 – the highest amount of debt on the list of Beatbox Bars Ltd’s 100 creditors.
The Cardiff firm – which ran Fire Island, Ten Feet Tall and Buffalo – went into administration last month, citing financial difficulties after a downturn in trade last winter."
That doesn't sound like just a 'downturn in trade'... it sounds like systematic underperformance or mismanagement. £1.37 million in debt from 3 bars is quite a lot. Don't know for certain, but looks like they weren't paying VAT, duties, NI contributions, etc, for quite an extended period of time.
Still have no idea why they got funding from Finance Wales. A bar is NOT the kind of risky but potentially high-return venture that publically-subsidised finance should be made available for.
"The Cardiff firm – which ran Fire Island, Ten Feet Tall and Buffalo – went into administration last month, citing financial difficulties after a downturn in trade last winter."
It must have been a downturn in trade a fair while before last winter. They used to own The Buffalo Lounge (on Woodville Rd), but one morning it just didn't open, out of the blue - that was September 5th 2011. I remember it, as I was supposed to be attending a quiz there, and they had to try and relocate at short notice to their other venue, the Buffalo Bar in Windsor Pl instead.
The quiz organisers had to leave someone at the closed premises to inform any punters it had closed, and that the monthly quiz venue was moving indefinitely.
How did they manage to get so much WG investment on the back of already bankrupting one venue? It's not even like there was a promise to create much employment - it's just a pub. On the Finance Wales it talks about a five year plan being compulsory for investment over £25k.
Was the W.G. grant not repair the bulding too? I may have mad that up or seen it on here. Real life and this forum and fantasyb seem to have become fluid in the long summer recess
The bars themselves don't pay duties as its paid for at the point of purchase from the brewery. So the debt to HMRC will be VAT, PAYE and NICS. Pubs are looking to pay around 10% turnover in taxes paid. Seems like they would have missed a few quarters payments at the very least
Was the W.G. grant not repair the bulding too? I may have mad that up or seen it on here. Real life and this forum and fantasyb seem to have become fluid in the long summer recess
Yes I think it was to renovate the old building on Westgate Street. Why is that relevant though?
"Hey, can you lend me some cash for my new business. We need it to renovate this old building"
WG: "OK, let's take a look at your business first. What do you do?"
"We run a couple of bars, one recently went suddenly bankrupt, and we walked away from it in, a moonlight flit"
WG: "No problem. Is a quarter of a million enough? It's only taxpayers' cash after all"
Presumably the company's assets of £140,175 don't include the freehold of the building. Surely if the intention was to bring the building back into use Finance Wales could have dealt with the freeholder and had a charge on the building?
Personally like the 'tap house' bit, although I admit it's a bit faddy (a bit like 'bar and kitchen' a few yrs back) ...It's the 'urban' which I don't like... 'westgate' or even just 'central' would work better IMHO
Tap House is an archaism for a pub, from back in the day when everything came out of wooden barrels - perfectly appropriate for a beer specialist. And the Urban bit is a reference to one of their core products - Urban IPA. As well as describing what the place is. I think it's a fine and fitting name.
There is an application in for the building that previously housed the Square nightclub (which I believe is called the Philharmonic Hall). It's by the people who run Le Monde.
The application makes reference to renovating the stage area so that it can be developed into a multi purpose venue including live music acts, comedy, daytime conferencing facilities, a restaurant and a nightclub. The application also seeks to amend the premises licence to 3.00am Sun to Thurs and 3.30am on weekends.
A letter supporting the application is at pains to point out that it will be a venue aimed at older people (presumably over 25) and higher end punters (so no 2 for 1 WKD offers and a free Jagerbomb for hen parties then).
The concept seems to be like a modern version of the old fashioned cabaret night - have some dinner, watch a singer and/or comedian and finish it off with some drinking and dancing. I hope the council see sense. The building is lovely despite the way it's been left to rot since the Square went under. I'd like to see it occupied and used again.
What's the betting that PC Knacker automatically opposes this, as usual?
More's the pity, it's a lovely looking building going completely to rack and ruin because of heavy handed planning policy by Cardiff Council.
I seem to remember here was an application a while ago for this to be turned into a live music venue similarly reusing the stage as a performance area - not sure what came of it, but I can guess!
I hope this is approved. The bottom end of St Mary's street looks dreadful presently, with most of the units on the West hand side boarded up. The saturation zone is, at least in part, to blame for this mess.
The police will opposite it citing a 'concentration of venues', the continuing high levels of crime, but the substantial fall since the policy was enacted. Instead of effective policing they want empty buildings and fewer punters making their job easier.
There is an application in for the building that previously housed the Square nightclub (which I believe is called the Philharmonic Hall). It's by the people who run Le Monde.
The council allowed the interior of this important building to be destroyed in the 1980s. ANYTHING would be an improvement. Maybe permission could be conditional on restoring the original interior lay-out albeit that the magnificent decoration has gone forever.
It appears as though there os some building work going on inside liquid/life at the moment. The doors have been replaced by building site entrances and hard hats must be worn notices are in place.
It appears as though there os some building work going on inside liquid/life at the moment. The doors have been replaced by building site entrances and hard hats must be worn notices are in place.
There is an application in for the building that previously housed the Square nightclub (which I believe is called the Philharmonic Hall). It's by the people who run Le Monde.
The council allowed the interior of this important building to be destroyed in the 1980s. ANYTHING would be an improvement. Maybe permission could be conditional on restoring the original interior lay-out albeit that the magnificent decoration has gone forever.
Although when it became The Square there was at least some effort to reflect the original style of the building, including restoring the spectacular ceiling.