More than 40 community members volunteered their time and effort to revamp an old bar and DJ space into a renewed music venue ... in six days.
The venue is Tabu/The Underground and its grand re-opening is this Friday at 8 p.m. at 89 Macdonell St. The event will feature music from Excuse Me., Lost in Japan and Sleep Outside. There are tickets for pre-sale available online for the cash-only and 19-plus event.
The undertaking of the volunteer-led renovation was anchored by Madeline Tesolin and Elly Grant. Tesolin, Grant and Tyler Worden were on-site coordinators at the space while the renovations took place.
Partytown owns Tabu/The Underground and gave them the go-ahead for renovations and reimbursed them for materials like fabric for booths, wall paper adhesive and light fixtures.
The team was given materials by businesses like cans of paint, rolls of fabric and sound treatment.
Grant first realized the space needed to be redesigned when she saw her brother’s band perform there and she kept getting distracted by the Audrey Hepburn artwork.
“None of the decor made sense for the new crowd the place was drawing in,” said Grant in an email to GuelphToday.
She shared her thoughts with Tesolin and they got working.
“The idea was that if we put our love and energy into space, think of how much love and energy will come out of the space,” said Grant.
The purpose of the project being put together by volunteers “was that those who would be enjoying the space are the ones who should have a say in its look and feel. If it's going to be a place for artists, it should be a space made by artists,” said Grant.
The venue renovations were a response to a clear need for more event space in the city, said Grant.
They had access to the space from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. for six days in order to flip it.
“The future of this space is undetermined, because it has so much potential, we’ll get there,” said Tesolin, in an email to GuelphToday.
She said she’d like to see the space used by collectives to host open mic nights, songwriter sessions and art shows.
Though this Friday is its official grand re-opening, this isn’t the first show at the venue this year.
