Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Plaza-Midwood getting piano bar

Plaza-Midwood is becoming the place to be. Another club is opening there in the next month.

Petra’s Piano Bar and Cabaret is scheduled to open on Commonwealth Avenue next to the Penguin on April 13. Chris Hollar a Greensboro native, and Robb Huddleston, a Gastonia native, are opening the bar, which is modeled after Rose’s Turn and the Duplex. Both are piano bars in New York’s West Village.

At Petra’s, bartenders and cocktail waiters will sing sets throughout the night. The music will range from ’60s love songs to Broadway tunes to contemporary songs.

Guests will also be able to make requests and sing with the piano player. Huddleston said he will be bringing friends from New York to perform in cabaret shows and one-man shows. The club will also have a cabaret room with performances.

It’s going to be a fun place for the theatre crowd and the people who hang out in the Plaza-Midwood area, said Huddleston, who said he co-founded the Muddy Cup coffeehouse in New York. It also featured live entertainment.

Petra's is the second club announcement in the last week for Plaza-Midwood area, and as I said last week, I'm working on getting the information for one other place. I've often written that Plaza-Midwood could surpass NoDa in hipness.

Why do you think Plaza-Midwood is becoming so popular? Post your replies below.

(Also coming soon: Tilt, at Trade and Tryon, is scheduled to open officially on March 29. Get your invitation at www.tiltcharlotte.com.)

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Plaza-Midwood itself has been desirable for a few years now, of course, with its great collection of Arts & Crafts homes dating from the '20s, and charming tree-lined streets so close to Uptown, but the area, especially jumping across Central Ave., is on the cusp of being just what you predict.......with all the cool restaurants on or near Thomas Ave., the exciting Morningside Village project about to start as well as other hip architecture, that whole Commonwealth Avenue spine is becoming the place to be, from down at Pecan all the way out along it into the neat '40s-era homes in Commonwealth Park. It's taken awhile but its time has come.

Anonymous said...

Becoming more hip than NoDa? C'mon, Plaza-Midwood has always been more hip than NoDa as far as I'm concerned. I made the trek to Heroes, Milestone records, and Repo long before NoDa was even a concept. Those three are gone, but look at all the other cools things that came into their place. Mind you I like both, but Plaza-Midwood still ranks above them all!

Danimal

Anonymous said...

c'mon!

noda is only hip to 30 something uptown bankers. theyve turned fat city into fat city condos, and the local bodega sells $8 pre-made sandwiches

Anonymous said...

Well, any up and coming interesting neighborhoods in Charlotte are always eventually jumped on by developers, businesses, and other people looking to make a buck, eventually squeezing out, ruining and destroying everything that made the neighborhood so desirable in the 1st place. There's nothing "artsy" or diverse about condominiums and piano bars. The beginning of the end has already begun for Plaza Midwood.

Plus, I hate to break it to these fellas opening up this Piano bar, but they'll have zero synergy with the excellent Penguin and Thomas St Tavern locations or it's patrons. People that frequent the area will flatly reject any place that is so rigidly concept-oriented and decidedly non-organic. It makes them feel foolish, like they're being manipulated.

Anonymous said...

Tonya, can you share details about the other new PM club you mentioned?

Anonymous said...

How exciting. I LOVE that area. I grew up in NYC and lived in the West Village for many years. Moved here 30 years ago and waited and waited and waited. NoDa is fun, but I am hesitant to drive there alone. I'm a little old lady. I feel safe on Central and Thomas and have been shopping at Nova's since she opened on Central. Thanks for the news!

Anonymous said...

One reason PM may be surpassing NoDa as a fun place to go is that aside from it's good location, the retail rents are still reasonable given the existing traffic.

In NoDa, the rents are as high as PM if not higher but there is hardly any daytime traffic. It is still exclusively a destination location.

Anonymous said...

As a theatre enthusiast, I am excited about a Duplex-style piano bar opening ANYWHERE in Charlotte. I make a yearly trek to NYC to check out the latest crop of Broadway/Off-BWay shows and always go to either the aforementioned Duplex or another piano bar called Marie's Crisis. I used to work as a singer at Bravo! and am excited to have a new (less formal) place to listen to my niche of musical entertainment!

Anonymous said...

It's becoming the new spot because Benji moved back from LA, and he and Paul used to live down the street.

Anonymous said...

jack's moving to the old Steeple location within the next year... also, another bar going to the former Fire and Ice location..hopefully they take advantage of the big back patio area... also hear there is somethin moving into the old second floor Perch location

NK said...

As per your comments, it seems that this places are some West Village type. I'm from New York and I'm a singer, my boyfriend is a songwritter we trying to relocate to NC. We are excited about it, however not sure if this is the place to be. We have a kid (5 years old) do anybody has an opinion. are this areas the only NYC Village type?.

Anonymous said...

McClintock G's!!!

Anonymous said...

hey, NK, my wife and i have lived in PM for nearly 20 years. our daughter, 13, and the neighbor kids, 18 & 15, have grown up in PM to very positive effect. years ago, they were some of the only kids in the 'hood, now there are -- within houses of us -- 7 children 6 or under, and our location is typical of the overall change in the neighborhood. fun parents, smart kids, a safe urbanity, we LOVE PM. (no, i'm not a realtor)

on the piano bar, if they'll let my kid in (like the other music venues do), we'll be there. she aspires to musical theatre and probably has on her career list to play in a duo piano bar someday.

NK, if you need any specific info regarding your relocation, go to the Plaza Midwood Neighborhood Assn site and leave a note - around here people are only to happy to help.