I've heard this nasty rumor before many times, but its always been not true. On what authority do you have this information?

How/where did you hear this? This place is my boyfriend's favourite brewery in Austin. So sad!

>Owner Joseph Tait said that he has seen a 15 percent to 20 percent drop in business since the ban and that he plans to close the bar by the end of March.

Interesting -- so he's planning to squeak through another SXSW.

Pfft. I was there last Saturday and it was packed. Didn't seem to be suffering too much to me.

all i know is that i'm not looking forward to hanging outside in this weather with my cold beer just to have a smoke. i know too many people that aren't frequenting their local hangouts for the same reason.
BOO! smoking ban!

For the next year or two, every bar that closes will blame the smoking ban. Might be true, might not be true. Bars close all the time around here. But don't take their word for it - they're every bit as biased as the smoking ban guys are.

The funny thing is, people still smoke in Loveoys. There are ash trays on the tables and people lit up everywhere.

oh no, one less bar in austin.

I dont understand why, if health was the issue for this smoking ban in bars....why are noise levels not? I think loud rock concerts and music in the bars is harmful too. Let's ban loud music.

SERIOUSLY! A health thing?!?!?!?!?! What about car exhaust, chemicals in your food, plastics, tephlon, and just about every product we use these days? Alcohol is one of the leading causes of death in this country! So is HEART DISEASE, but you don't see them raking McDonald's over the coals (or that burger place that actually made a sandwich called the "MeatNormous!". SERIOUSLY?! Health risk?????? F-THAT!

Lovejoys ROCKS! I go there still...I heard it from the horses mouth on Tuesday (and go stand outside...yes it sucks...you leave your beer inside and last time this lady almost accosted me).

Also...NO people aren't really smoking inside anymore and they DO NOT have ashtrays on the tables! Trying to get them in trouble? they already are...THEY'RE CLOSING!

We need more laws to protect the genetically inferior. Then, one day, we'll all be retarded, blind, albino asthmatics with attention deficit disorder and drug companies will rule the world.

You know what I find annoying and upsetting...small children!!

Really, could we ban small children from restaurants and movie theaters?? The screaming stresses me out and gives me indigestion. I could get sick from this damn it!!

I didn't have children, why should I have to be exposed to the stress and fatigue that other people's children cause me. It's just not fair!

IS LOVEJOYS CLOSING?


Yes, I believe so. Probably at the end of March.

WHY?

Lots of reasons, I suppose.


Here goes....

When I opened Lovejoys in January of 1994 there was no place like it in Austin. Most of the downtown places were either dance clubs, restaurants or music venues. I wanted a place where the whole goal was just to hang out with your friends, make some new friends and share stimulating conversation over a few beers. Community and camaraderie reigned supreme, everything else was periphery.

People responded, and I was thrilled.

Well, the community is different now. There are lots of places that do the same sort of thing we do. You might say we started something and others followed (and improved upon it, perhaps).

I'm not one to complain about competetion... without competetors, one becomes complacent. Unfortunately, thanks to the powers that be, I'm not playing on the same field as many of my competetors.

When I opened Lovejoys there was an APD sub-station across the street. Next to that was a vending company warehouse, and across the street from the warehouse was a parking lot. Over the last 12 years, the APD substation became a crack-dealing convenience store (oh, the irony!), the vending company warehouse is now a soup kitchen, and the parking lot is now a $7-million dollar homeless shelter. How many businesses are going to survive that?

Well, we did.

Then there came the smoking ban.... [rant] Fuck a bunch of no-good, self-righteous yuppie pricks who never even set foot in this place to begin with. [/rant] ... many of my competetors have facilities better suited to deal with Austin's smoking ban. I have no patio, and no place to put one. (NO, not even the roof. The building is historic; you can't mess with it. And even if you could, we're looking at hundreds of thousands of dollars in engineering upgrades.) People are trying to remain loyal, and I appreciate that, but it's just too easy to go to a place where you can have a beer and a smoky treat at the same time.

WHY NOT CHANGE CONCEPTS AND MAKE THE PLACE MORE ATTRACTIVE TO THE NON-SMOKING COMMUNITY?

I never set out to attract smokers in the first place. Read the first paragraph again. I can't help it if the people who are in to what we do also happen to smoke. And I don't want to change my business to accomidate new people, dammit. I like my concept just the way it is. And if I can't have it the way I want it, then fuck it, I'm out.

WOULD YOU SELL IT?

Yes, I would. I do believe that the groundwork I put in place could be altered and imporved upon by someone with a slightly different vision. I do not claim to be the only person who can run a bar. I would get great satisfaction in seeing someone take Lovejoys to the next level (just like Frank did with Emo's). If anyone is seriously interested in buying the place, then contact Don Busby at 383-0016.

Thanks to everyone who has ever brought something to the conversation at Lovejoys. You have all made my life richer.


Celebrate Your Vices!


Chip