So where are the upscale clientel coming from? And how can anyone afford an upscale bar these days? Bars attract a certain element and you can't get away from that no matter how much cash you sink into the property.

The lounge is really starting to take shape. Thank you everyone for your support and to the city for putting their faith in this unique concept.

"Hollywood Tan is concerned about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and will be taking donations for the next month towards this charity. For each item sold at the salon Hollywood Tan will donate $1 towards the March of Dimes efforts to eliminate this syndrome. Furthermore, we will also be asking for $1 donations from each customer and posting the names of all who contriubuted across the entire salon. We will also have literature and donation buckets in our laundrymat and other business locations. For more information please visit www.marchofdimes.com or call Hollywood Tan for your donation."

On a personal note the majority of Hollywood Tan employees and the owner have young children. We feel this is a tragic and unfair sydrome, and want to contribute what we can as a business to help spread awareness and to contribute to a cure.

etwon- sorry to hear this. I will pass it along. I know they have some staffing issues.
The "members "probably seated themselves because they had a reservation. They put place tags on the tables so I assume they just walked themselves to their tables.
Sorry if you think $25 is overpriced for two. Fish fry included a extensive salad bar and other stations. It is only done once a month.

Sorry about the service. It may seem and be the members get better service because they are well known because they frequent the club.
I have been to breakfast at Eastpoint and have felt ignored because they didn't know me vs "the REGULARS". That is humane nature. More reporte(sp). But again I will pass on the service you talked about. That shouldn't happen.


Etown- I have a question- are you speaking of Janesville or Beloit cc. Jvl cc is NOT open to public. You may go as a guest UNDER a members name and only a couple times a year.

Third thought-
Beloit AND Janesville cannot open to the public because of tax status. Maybe you are speaking of Edgerton CC.

gazettefan, yep... light appetizers to compliment a few beverages would be great. I don't see it as becoming a "destination" venue... but a nice place to spend some time with friends and business associates.

Food, at least light food, would be a plus at the new lounge.

etown, thank you, that was really all I was saying. Just that there is a double standard at "the club". The word that best describes a respectfully well dressed couple, patronizing a local establishment for a nice dinner, being neglected and unattended to, wreaks of boorish snobbery. Hence... snooty!

Frogger, I never said they treat employees better than guests. If anything, I thought management treated the hostess and 1 waitress in particular, extremely crappy. We almost walked out. It made me uncomfortable.

frogger... The comparison I thought you would understand... is that you just worked there... how you would perceive things, would be different than a patron would see it. A different vantage point...

i agree with gmaof3 we went to the country club for a fish fry a couple of weeks ago i think it was the 22 of oct, sign said wait to be seated so we did and we waited and waited. even though we could see half the table s were empty. meanwhile other people were being seated that came in after us. easily could see who belonged to the club , even though this was open to the public. after being seated and we ordered the waitress pointed said salad bars over there. she brought our food never once asked if we wanted anything to drink. i asked 3 people for ketchup for the fries never did get it. needless to say while the food was good and there salad bar was very good. it was overpriced. 25.00 for two people. meanwhile the table behind us was doted on , finally i asked one how long they ve been members it was more then obvious their treatment was alot better then the non members.

mere16- go to Cafe Belwah in Beloit. That is where the chef went. If he is still there anyway. Food is excellent and so it the service.
Go to restaurant.com for a $25 coupon for $10. Also sign up first and you will get email for promotions like buy $25 cert for $2!! Metro in Jvl is on the site too.

Okay Gmaof3- what ever you say. I have been there as a guest and not treated any differently. It was probably the guests that treated you poorly as I mentioned. Some don't even know me now. I find it hard to believe what you say is true about them treating a worked better than a guest if they are truly "snooty" The snooty ones treat workers like they should pick the poo off their boots. Again just a handful.

It will be great to go to a nice place.

My intentions are to bring an attractive business to the downtown that brings with it culture, relaxed fun, an a contempory style similiar to a classy upscale posh lounge you might expect to see in a much larger city. I intend for the lounge to exude culture, style, and the cutting edge "cool" factor.

Many of us Janesvillites would like to escape the dismal atmopshere both the recession and the absense of GM has brought, I intend to create a lounge which caters to anyone who wishes to temporily escape this reality into a VIP fantasy, through unique decor, exotic furnishing, upbeat music, and fine food.

No frogger, YOU are wrong! Word for word, I said, "... THAT place can get snooty!" So can any place else, but the atmosphere is such that SOME people have chips on their shoulders, and they make it uncomfortable for US. Working there is definitely different than BEING there as a paying customer.

Just looking forward to a place with a bit more culture than the dives downtown that draw the teeny-bopper crowd.

Upscale livers go bad too!

upscale=overpriced, i ll stay home and save my money

Awesome! I think it will go over well. I've missed the martinis in town ever since Fusion 5 went away. Good luck!

As the weather turns colder and the holidays approach, I've noticed some of the bloggers are getting a little hostile. Lighten up people, it's just a blog.

Your comment stated ALL were snooty. I am just correcting you. You would be surprised how some act when they come to the club as GUESTS!! No- just a handful I would say can be snooty and is isn't because they belong to the club.As I mentioned they are just that way. Many members have worked their butts off to get here and still work butts off to STAY in these times and The Club thanks them greatly for hanging in there. Yes I know the crowd WELL for working there almost 10 years!!

It can be pricey but the lounge we can all afford. I am not against the lounge.

If you think they are snooty maybe it is just you being snooty to the members and they wont talk to snooty GUESTS. See my previous comment about "guests" at the club.

What is your problem frogger? The country club is made up of some business has-beens who want their "pats on the back" and "attaboys". Yes, I DO know that crowd! You just acknowledged that some are snooty. So what's your point?

For many of us, we would simply enjoy a place to converse and have a cocktail, without loud patrons acting out the part of "losers and trash". I'm just sayin'

A decent martini bar in this town...I am already there. This town could use a little culture and class as far as its taverns are concerned.

Yes Lounge- seems Gazette cannot grasp or Janesville cannot grasp this word over BAR.

Would it not be more appropriate to call this establishment a "Coctail Lounge" in lieu of a "Bar"?

For those who don't think there's a market for this in downtown Janesville, the Speakeasy seems to be doing fine, and I would put this in the same category except for the food. It'll be nice to have a bar with a different, more laid back atmosphere than the typicall Looking Glass type place.

Optimism/ So you were one supporting the crime and riff-raff in the Old Fourth Ward Neighborhood? I wasn't, and if that makes me guilty of 'attitude assumption' then I'm proud of it. When I say civilized I mean adults able to go out and act like adults without creating drama for everyone else. Kind of like the drama you're trying to create with your comment. Sticks and Stones my friend, sticks and stones.

yada""urban based crowd" "

My guess a nice way of saying people who think this is a big city and are in gangs or act like they are in gangs, cause trouble, and bring weapons into the bar,sell drugs. Yes weapons or they wouldn't have needed a metal detector and GUARD.

gmaof5- sorry the club members are NOT generally snooty!! Some are yes but they would be that way outside of the club as well!!

Have you ever been a member to know they "are snooty" . Then I guess you better be quiet about your untruths about the club members.
You could use the term loser or trash I guess.

optimism- I have(had) seen Henricks out in NICE places as well. I am sure he enjoyed the neighborhood bar AS WELL as a fine lounge. The point is it is nice to have BOTH!

Everyone who wants to open a bar should get a license. There will always be a bar or two that will have a troublesome crowd; it has been that way as long as I can remember. If this ends up as one of those places, they can take the license away later. Wont matter of course, that crowd will go somewhere to drink. If you go to the bar circuit that caters to drinkers who want to party loud and get ripped, and that is not the atmosphere you wanted, why do you go there? Personally I think there are quite a few nice places to drink in this town. Perhaps you upscale folks are not as smart as you think you are.

I'm all for it, I've known Ryan for years, and I'm sure he can make a go of it. I'll go there!

optimism... You can't possibly be missing our point, you're being argumentative.
The point is, MANY of us are parents and grandparents that would like a place to visit with friends without having to scream over raucous "music" and worry about getting knocked over on the way to the restroom because someone else had too much to drink and plans to puke on my shoes. Yes, this happens all the time in the kiddie bars!
Upscale doesn't mean snooty, its simply a term to represent a more civilized setting. And yes, I LOVE a good fish fry. And NO, I'm not really comfortable at the country club. Now THAT place can get snooty!

Okay so this is a new plan and I hope it works. The idea does seem logical and I hope it would also have some live entertainment. What group was Skinner talking about when he said the "urban based crowd" are not welcome? I don't get to the downtown area often and do not know the history of the previous bar owners.

Optimism, the idea that people who would like to go to a martini bar look down upon these who go to a fish fry, or assuming they can all afford to join a country club, is also "attitude assumption". That type of thinking can work both ways. Just let the business owner run their business as they see fit at long as they aren't doing anything illegal. Most bars have some sort of "theme", if the upscale theme doesn't work the place will either change or close.

Optimism, "Didn't know there was such a thing as an upscale drunk. thought drunk is drunk." WOW, are you an optimist!! Who said going there for a drink makes you a drunk? If you are a teetotaler...why are you commenting about this bar? Get a clue!

*Hendricks

TJ, so, if I want to stop for some fish and a drink on a Friday night, at one of the establishments already out there, I am not civilized because it's not a martini bar with fresh sushi rolls? PAHLEEEZE! You, are a fine example of the attitude assumption of Janesville, that was just plain pathetic and catastrophic to your neighbors. I seriously can't believe I have read the shallowness in yours and many other posts. As far as KNOWING how to make a fine Manhattan, can't you perfect your own and enjoy your 'welcomed non puking company' in your own home? Why the need for an "UPSCALE" establishment just to make a common drink with a fancy name?? Do any of you remember the FAVORITE bar of choice of the Late Hendrickson?? It was Skips Friendly Tap, in afton. And he had more class than many people I know. You didn't see him needing a 'special' place to go to be around 'his kind'.

hmmmm. Didn't know there was such a thing as an upscale drunk. thought drunk is drunk. But, I guess if your drinking in upscale company, that busch light is not just busch light anymore? This is ridiculous. A bar is a bar. If the 'prestigious' need a private sector, go to the frickin country club. We have enough bars for the drunk bar hoppers to tend to, no need to throw another stop in there!

spinmaster, the answer to your question is Quotes. I know two people that have had items stolen (a wallet out of a purse, and a cell phone).

Photogal/Bella-You hit the nail on the head with your comments! I totally agree!

One thing to think about for those of us that are looking forward to this new/unique hangout...Mr. Skinner still has some hurdles to overcome. Looking at the article closely, its not a guarantee that he'll be approved. Looks like Truman is going to pull some crap and try to persuade the city council to see things his way. I think they tried doing this to Sneakers too. ALAC said "Yes! Great!" and City Council made them jump through hoops. And look at Sneakers now....no issues that I've heard/read about it. So just a thought....I'm wondering if our city council needs to get some e-mails in support of this or maybe if we're lucky, they're reading this blog! :)

Well it is settled- NO TRASH! I am there!!

I'm not a martini drinker but if they make a great - from scratch - Brandy Old-Fashion... I'm there!

Janesville is changing, the GM mentality will be replaced by reality eventually.

frogger said, "$5 rail drinks will keep the trash out!!"
**************
$5.00 rail drinks will keep everyone out. Unemployement at 8% many more uemployed that are not counted.
************
I wish you well, but doubt Janesville is the place for a martini bar.

I see how it is...

That's true janesvillean, however if you look at how those places generally do around here, it's not good. The last couple times I went to Speakeasy, it was all but deserted. Could be the prices, could be the pretension. Unless I'm drinking mixed drinks, I can't justify spending more than $2.50 for a beer. It's not like this is Chicago where you can get a way with charging $4 a beer.

By the way, dukes, where in Janesville would you go where you would have to worry about your wallet? Maybe going home with it empty. Otherwise, come on.

I'm looking forward to giving it a try. Speakeasy and O'Riley & Conway's are both nice too if you don't want to get puke on your shoes or worry about your wallet.

When someone is willing to invest the time and money to create an upscale atmosphere and appeal to a civilized crowd, the vote has to be yes. I just hope Janesville has the clientel to make it profitable. I enjoy the Speakeasy but have noticed a lack of patronage of late.

I am very excited for this and especially since they could be putting sushi on the menu. I would love to be able to meet up with the girls for martinis and sushi...The downtown scene isn't appealing any longer. Timeout is a great bar and I enjoy the bands, however it is not somewhere you can sit and talk. Think of all the first dates this bar could see ;-D

Will this new place cater to the 50's crowd too? Lets not just have it for the 30's and 40's crowds. I like a respectful place too. I would frequent it as well.

janesvillean another very true statement

spinmaster, as is easily observed, places that are expensive are not expensive because food or liquor are inherently more expensive. They are expensive because of whom their prices keep out.

bella I am in total agreement with you. Its nice to go to a nice upscale place when you grow up and are tired of loud dive bars. I like the Speakeasy and Orillys downtown. I am sure I would like this place.

It's not completely foreign to Janesville, but it seems that for every Speakeasy, there are 20 Weirdo's and Legends. I've had my share of fun at all of them, but now that I'm in my 30s I prefer Speakeasy over the dive bars. It's all about what you prefer. I like to sit in a nice lounge and enjoy a martini and some conversation. A few years ago, I liked jager bombs and beer and didn't care that there was puke on the bathroom floor of a bar. It's nice to have options.

how is this any different than the speakeasy? They make expensive drinks and have an upscale atmosphere with food.

People make it sound like this is foreign to Janesville.

Nice work Ryan! I live in Milwaukee, but come home to visit family about once a month. I'd definitely stop in for a few drinks when I do.

Add your new establishment to O'Riley Conways, and a downtown night in Janesville it is!

Urban-based. Code. How Janesville.

Totally untrue about the bars in Janesville being "rough". That's just ridiculous. Of course, there are places you're better off staying away from. However, that happens in any city in the world. I have never had an issue anywhere here. Generally speaking, if you have problems at a bar, it's not one-sided.

I never go to Janesville, I have heard the bars are rough there. I have never seen or heard of any problems or police involvment at The Alibi, Suds, Brass Rail, Jaks, Impluse, or even Townclub. Actually I cant even remember the last time I have heard of a problem at a bar in Beloit. I hope this new place works for Janesville, its nice to be able to stay close to home and enjoy good food and drinks.

Bill Truman has already announced that he will not be running for council in the April 2011 election. I hardly think that "removing" him would be necessary at all. http://gazettextra.com/news/2010/oct/13/...

Bill Truman needs to be off the ALAC and off the city council. Anyone know how to get a council member removed for cause?

Truman is a killjoy who probably wouldn't give an alcohol license to his own family for that place. I hope Skinner is granted the license and is successful. These boards and committies in Janesville need to work with potential business owners to fill vacant locations, not discourage them at every turn. We want to create business and jobs, remember.

Also here is a guy that is going to spend 40-50K in renovations I am sure he will hire some local people to help with the work. Jobs, investing in our community, I am sure the licensing board will approve his request if he has it written well as with his biz plan. If would be shame to let dirty bag fly by night establishment go in a trash the place and cause problems, then turn around and deny someone who wants to turn the place into a nice establishment and invest into the building

This sound like the kind of place that should have been in that building a lone time ago. If he builds it I would frequent that place allot. I am sure all the reporters at that Gazette would support the establishment

Ryan- We live in the historic district (just a few blocks from your new place) and we have talked A LOT about how much we wanted EXACTLY what you are doing there... We are more of a 30's and 40's crowd, though. Our neighborhood would LOVE a place to go, and, since we tend to go to Chicago or Milwaukee to find somewhere lounge-y, the $5 drinks and button-down would be so welcome here! And, by the way, $5 drinks are (less than what they are at Gillys, Excalibur, etc in Chicago), IMO a good price, and, here we aren't paying $15 entry + $25 for parking like we do if we go to Chicago. I am excited! LOL

BYW- Ryan we will be there ASAP!!! We can walk down!!

badgergirl- when I read the Lava Lounge I immediately though of Velvet Lips but couldn't remember the name right away to mention it. Thanks it is very nice in there. I love the chandeliers!!

spinmaster- the $5 rail drink pays for the EXCELLENT service and the nice atmosphere!!
Yes I can go to a stinky bar(the smell will never go away), the hey "what do you want", and get a $2 drink but I will pay $5 for a nice place. Heck I can drink a whole darn bottle for $10 and hubby will even bring it to me but sometimes you like to just go out of the house and still be someplace as nice as your own home!! Ah, I get it now dumpy home- dumpy bar.

I think it will do good, Ryan is already a business owner and I know theres no way in hell he's ever run a thug bar, so the chance of it changing down the road....you're more likely to see churches turn into thug bars first. lol. I have friends that dont like to go down town because its trashy... This will be a good thing. All places need to be like this, then people will straighten up or they wont be allowed in anywhere.

Sounds to me like 'upscale' just means unnecessarily expensive drinks and pretentious clientele. If you're that picky about where you need go to get liquored up, you should probably just stay home.

This should thin out the traffic on Hwy 51 south of Janesville on the Friday & Saturday nights.

Oh my gosh are you kidding FINALLY a decent place in Janesville to go listen to decent, maybe even relaxing, music, meet up with friends and have a drink or two?!?!?! I hope he takes lessons from the martini bar in LaCrosse, it has atmosphere, music, and is a comfortable social gathering place. I would focus more on the 30+ crowd and leave the under 30 crowd to the already existing bars in town that are repulsive.

Badgergirl4life Actually, the requests made of them were not appropriate as no other applicant had to provide the info they requested and The requests they wanted were not part of the requirements to obtain a license. The ALAC basically said with the prior issues with other owners at this time they would deny the request for a license, all but Matt, the president of the ALAC and Bill Truman was the first negative on that one also. Some of the statements in the gazette were incorrect. I hope this clears your question. Sometimes people need to be at the meetings and see and hear the outcomes and not always what they read in a news paper. Now my venting is over.

A LGBT open friendly bar was to open at the former Off the Wagon that was running since Feb 2010 and was publicized in the paper as A LGBT bar when it was actually an open friendly bar. They denied the license as to former tenants (Spanky's and other negative bars at that address)Off the Wagon had no police calls and no problems while they were open It was going to ewopen as Club Haven and Bridgeport Bar and Grill, with the same venue it had since Feb.,only under different management with the same people that ran it for the last 12 weeks it was open as OTW. The owner of OTW turned in his license. And my point was that a license was given to the former Mcstabbers with a history of police calls and drugs dealing employees. Yet a bar that had no issues is denied.

This would be a great if all the proposed ideas are followed through. The downtown area needs an upscale lounge. I agree with frogger about the drink prices, and there shouldn't be old style or whatever lol. Good bartenders that KNOW how to make martinis will boost your bar. I wouldn't actually mind getting a little dressed up to attend. We do have a few businesses in town that are on the more expensive side as far as drinks and/or food but then look at the patrons- they are not trashy riff-raffs. Hey another business intown= more jobs = more money :)

Carlitosway, I have no idea what you're talking about. Starting in the middle of a sentence, no punctuation, and random fragments made it impossible for me to understand. Is Haven a person or a bar? And Off The Wagon? Never heard of it. How do you define upscale and where was it?

Best of luck to you Ryan. We do need upscale!!

PS Whoever said Theodore's was the last good bar in this town obviously hasn't gotten out much in the past 20 years. There are plenty of places like Time Out, Speakeasy, Wiggy's or the new Irish bar where you won't see any fights.

On one hand, I’m a little cynical about the idea because of the current bar business/economy. If you talk to most bar owners, business has been declining for quite a while with no upturn in sight. Planned clientele is nice when it actually works out, but when it doesn’t, drink specials/discounts/gimmicks are used in order to bring people in the door and then you become one of many bars that are competing for the same customer.

On the other hand, I didn’t think the Speakeasy would last as long as it has and it seemed to work. Good Luck

Carlitos... You're a "hard read" tonight. Not sure what you mean.

That said, unfortunately, I don't know if trying to pull up the "scale" of downtown with one establishment, will have any impact.

I really do hope he can pull this off though. Somebody HAS to start somewhere. The armory is an enjoyable venue, perhaps this will add some flavor to downtown.

I just read the comment on the recent denial of "Haven's". If I remember correctly from the article the Gazette had on that, didn't the owner/manager refuse to cooperate with the committee/city on their requests???? Sounds like this is completely different from that.

FINALLY! Janesville may actually be getting a new type of atmosphere/venue tailored towards young working professionals. Prior establishments/businesses seemed to forget about us so I'm really looking forward to this new place! The ideas sort of remind me of Velvet Lips in Fort Atkinson and that place is thriving even in this economy. Good Luck to you.

urban-based crowd," Skinner said. Now what is that crowd is yjis a polite way of saying something else???????? That crowd Never came into OTW

BTW McStaggers said the same thing he pledged to distance himself from the operations of past businesses—

and denied one for a place that had NO POLICE CALLS Did they have to prove what the other person was reqested to. Haven's denial was unjust and this article proves it The former off The Wagon was in operation and had a great UPSCALE business. The rasons were for prior tenants at the address for the license and THIS LOCATION HAS HAD MORE THAN ANY OTHER LOCATION IN THIS FINE JUDGEMENTAL CITY. Stabbings , employees dealing heroin and multiple fights OH WOW I bet it isn't an open friendly bar.

My daughter lives in D.C. and when she comes home to visit and brings a friend, they go all the way to Milwaukee to go out, because there isn't an establishment like the one being proposed, around here. We need a place like this in Janesville. I will certainly check the new place out.

nikkiz242001 I'm attempting to create a VIP experience for everyone regardless of your income. The reason for the "buttoned up shirt" comment was to send a clear message to the previous rough crowd that this establisment caters to a different target market.

Ryan- Good luck. Hope it goes well. I know I'll stop in to at least check the place out.

I realize what a challenge I'm up against, and what a bad name this bar has had associated with the previous owners. I have a solid plan that I will stick by, and I plan to bring this upscale theme as hopefully a welcomed addition to the downtown area.

also yes I do plan to have food, I will be meeting with a food distributor next week if the city approves of the liscense and developing a menu. I'm also speaking with a chef from one of the upscale venues in town right now (cant name) to cook. We are thinking of gormet wraps & sandwiches, possibly sushi, and other more commonly recognized appetizers.

Suds OHanahan's in Beloit is a good example of a nice neighborhood bar. I feel that since Theador's closed (can anyone else remember that far back?)there hasn't been a nice bar in Janesville where people could go to hear some good music, without worrying about a bar fight breaking out.

i like the plan but hate to tell you ryan there isnt alot of younger people that are our age and upscale upperclass around here who can afford something like what your proposing.. hello need we remind you there is not much for jobs around here and most are broke! I applaud the effort of making it so it isnt trashy like the last 2 but lets be realistic

Young Professionals means someone that doesn't get dirty, but doesn't make the kind of money that someone who does get dirty. I hope it works.

"Truman said he didn't think the money Skinner would spend to remodel would be enough to draw a new clientele. He was the sole "no" vote."

$5 rail drinks will keep the trash out!!

I look forward to this. This is what I was told was going to happen when it was first opened. A nice lounge with some jazz music. WELL far from that was the turnout.

I will be there!
WILL YOU HAVE FOOD???? The others wouldn't get the place up to code- the tenants (or owner I guess) to serve food. I find this interesting that owners cooked in there before. Maybe this was just another lie! If you only serve drinks and no food you should do well because of no food loss. Most of the time the food sales is a loss and you make it up in drinks but STILL most people will feed you in a bar!!

You can have a dress code if you like to keep out the trash but I agree it is not likely anymore where a tie is needed or whatever. I still call some places just to be sure a sport coat or tie is or isn't needed.

Is 'upscale' in quotes because it's ironic, or because somebody is claiming so in those exact words? Or both?

Although I am a non-drinker I applaud the efforts of a small business owner who wants to take a piece of junk and make something of it. I would rethink the button down shirt thing though as even middle age business people often dress down nowadays. Good luck

Sounds good until business just isn't there and slowly the changes are made. The last thing we need is another bar like what's previously been there or another bar for kids that can't control themselves while drinking (like Quotes). Good luck. I hope it works.