Lower Greenville's papa bear, The Granada Theater, is getting another feather in its cap tonight with the soft opening of Sundown at Granada, the venue's new bar and restaurant in the space where M Street Bar used to be. I asked Gavin Mulloy, Granada's promotions manager, what this means for the neighborhood in a bigger sense.
"We're trying to keep Lower Greenville as a place people can go see music, grab drinks, hang with friends and eat," he says. "The space next door opened, we saw an opportunity to bring another destination place and put our own stamp on it. Plus, now when bands ask where they should go for a drink after the show, they can just walk next door."
Furthermore, the bar will serve a utilitarian purpose."We'll sell tickets at Sundown," Mulloy continues. "We haven't had a brick and mortar box office since [Granada owner Michael Schoder's] CD World closed."
As 2012 turns the page on a year of ups and downs for Lower Greenville establishments, Mulloy says he just wants to keep East Dallas anchored as a creative center, while still changing the landscape a bit.
"I mean, the DOMAs were held on this street three years ago and Lowest Greenville has seen at least 10 bars close since then. Not many places to see a band down here. I live in bars and live around the corner from Granada and went in [M Street Bar] one time while I worked here. And people were rolling blunts on the patio pretty openly. The old tenants didn't bring out the best crowd. Mostly college drink night and 20-year-old girls on poles. Just wanted to bring something cool to Lower Greenville, where there are still several bad-ass places like Libertine, Single Wide, Stan's and Zubar."
The kitchen opens January 13, and the open house starts tonight at 4 p.m.
