Brownies 23 East

[ExcitedToBeHere]

Raquel,

I will let everyone know about this at Ratdog.org as well, if you haven't already. I will also be there tonight and I will happy to post info whereever and whenever I can.

See you tonight.

[Raquel]

Thanks to each and every one of you for all you're doing to help save Thursday nights. It's awesome to see how much folks care about this band and family.

You know our love will not fade away...

<3

[dennydew]

Hey Monny- who did you speak to at Palumbaro? I am trying to get Charlie invloved- he books talent there- not sure if he's the same guy you met....Mario thinks its small..I beg to differ..I've seen HUGE crowds there for The Radiators....we have skated too long on our own steam...our sense of entitlement will not bring in steady traffic....a big promo boost is due...we have the soldiers...just gotta get the word out...flyers- etc- canvas the colleges...the kids need things to do....more cheap ads...let's pool our ideas and delegate tasks....

[tiedyeemtf]

Yeah.............so I'm here in the kitchen kicking out Thursday night's "Pre-Game" meal.....(before I go to Brownies once again)....a few Sierra Celebrations......2009....4-5 cups of some good organic Ugandan coffee.....and some sauteed greens in oil and garic.........I'm listening to a Splintered Sunlight show fron Ski Trip 2000........and I think to myself............boy oh boy.......you been going to Brownies since 1997.....spend $50.00 per night once a week...12 years running.......alongside atleast another 100 paying customers doing the same thing......boy oh boy...that adds up to 2.5 million buckaroos.........and I'd personally like to do this at Brownies for another 10 years..........Now show me another bar or restaurant with these kind of numbers and customer loyalty in the Delaware Valley.............P.S. I personally know of some "High End Steakhouses" in Center City Philly that wishes they could see these numbers.

[waltzingmatilda]

yes denny - i did speak to the owner of Palumbaros and he was giddy at the idea of having splintered play there. i also agree with you as far as the size - the dance floor is wide open and the bar is the length of the place as you know. parking is plentiful - i think its worth a phone call

love and light

[dennydew]

who is the owner? I'm unsure if my connection , charlie, is a booking agent or owner

[waltzingmatilda]

i don't remember his name. I actually went over there last year to speak to him about hosting a splintered party and he asked me if i had any pull to get them to play a regular gig at the Palumbaro - i told him i did not but i would mention it which i did but at the time i believe there were loyalty issues regarding Brownies & the close proximity etc... come to find out he knows my family - really nice guy

[dennydew]

thx Monnie...I hope to communiacate with them shortly...

[Gr8fulDave]

Is there a Splintered Demo cd and press kit anywhere?

If not I'll pull something off archive.org to get to my friends at MaGerks.....like i said before its a brand new place...HUGE inside, plenty of parking...and valet parking too!

check 'er out http://www.magerks.com/fort-washington/

[dennydew]

hmmm- Magerks looks awsome....crab dip and victory hop devils on tap??? wooooo...def. make sure butchy and the boys get the info....it's worth pursuing....even twice a month....center city seems alluring because of the student activity down there.....more of a late night crowd....but I do like ft/ washington for an easy drive....let's explore them all...it's a new beginning....another phase

[annabrownies]

Hi Guys,

wanted to reach out and introduce ourselves, as we only met a few of you in the last few weeks, my partner (Miguel) and i (Anna) are the new owners of Brownies23 East. We see a lot of cocern regarding the future of Thursday nights on this forum as well as what was expressed in person by those we met. The concern is not unfounded as the unfortunate reality is that we do have financial considerations as any business owner would. We do, however, recognize that Thursday is the only night that relies solely on the band for attendance. Thursdays are also special in that they have almost a family like feel to them and we have met a lot of really nice people. This is precisely why we feel comfortable reaching out in this forum. Our goal is to make the night work. We would like to reach out to Raquel and any other designees to discuss possible avenues of promotion that may not have been considered in the past and do our part in forwarding the cause.
I saw some comments asking to explain the numbers. Without going into great detail, the short of it is - the band is the draw so they get all of the proceeds from the door (cover). The only money we make is from the bar. We consider 163 people (from last week) a very good turnout and a huge improvement form the four preceeding weeks. Having said that, the math shows that on average each person spent less than $12 at the bar, you must agree not a lot.
We will do our best to support Thursdays and welcome any comments and constructive suggestions as we believe our goal here is the same. Looking forward to seeing you all in a few days.
Sincerely,

Anna

[BobbyFansRPeps2]

I have a feeling this thread is gonna blow up now....

First, thanks Anna for responding to our concerns regarding the fate of our beloved Thurs. nights and Splintered Sunlight.
We have formed a family here, through the music of The Grateful Dead, that is is transformed and magically interpreted through Splintered Sunlight. It is amazing the people I have met, become friends with, and love throughout the years coming to Brownies. I personally don't get to Brownies on a Thurs. all that much because I need to be at work way too early on Friday mornings, but I try.

Now to the good stuff...

As for those numbers you mention. If 163 people turned out at $7 a HEAD, that's $1141 to the band, divided by 6 is 190 per. Hmmm, seems low for what Splintered gives to us. Would gladly pay 8 at the door.

Personally, last Thurs. I spent approx. 40 bucks at the bar (and I just stayed for one set) If the average is 12, guess that works out to a total of $1956. Hmmm, kinda shitty I guess for an owner.

Do you guys have a promotion budget? Would be glad to lend my time to promote Splintered at Brownies in anyway possible. Artwork, graphics, photos, flyers, banners, signs, etc. (I work for a printing company).

Anyway, thanks Anna for posting here and hope to meet you. Splintered family is unique, and we need to continue to evolve to ensure a profitable ownership for you, and our love for our family and the band.

-Grate Scott!

[dennydew]

good stuff scott...I would assume that the band plays a role in the promotion budget...maybe it's a co-op situation, in which the venue and the band contribute???

....feel free to call me to discuss ideas and how to implement them...we need to devise a comprehensive plan for distribution of flyers / posters / handouts...we need to utilize public areas such as facebook, twitter, etc

[Josh Straw]

Anna, thank you for your very forthcoming post, and for taking the time to share your thoughts.

Like many people on this forum (and those who aren't here but see SS regularly) I've been coming to Brownies since the band started there (actually, even before that; I saw Phish there, if you can believe that, when it was the 23 East Cabaret).

We love coming out to Brownies: The staff (polite, caring, fair), the sound (the best), the drink selection, even the prices (for the most part, though they do seem to have gone up during this Great Recession, an odd management choice, in my view.) Most of all, we love the loyalty Joe has shown over the last decade-plus.

I would only urge that you consider the following:

Like any other business that relies on paying customers showing up, things at Brownies ebb and flow based on any number of factors: the economy, the weather, who else is playing nearby, holidays, the academic calendar, illness, etc. 58 is clearly a low number, and 163 is a good number, and that was in the span of just a week. I have no way of knowing what (as EZ pointed out in his post) the numbers are year-over-year or month-over-month, but you seem to be saying that even on a night with more than 150 paying customers, not enough money was spent at the bar.

Thus, if the we view the problem in this context, even this relatively good turnout is not enough. Right?

So, how to fix? In other words, what's the number (dollar spent per patron) that makes it a good deal for you? I don't expect you to answer, and this is somewhat rhetorical, but it does lead to a few potential remedies.

1) Get a lot more people out. If you're not happy with 163 people spending $12 each, then what do you need? 200 people? 300? That strikes me as a lot more people, based on where we are now, but perhaps you could tell us.

2) Raise prices You could, naturally, raise prices even more, but that has diminishing returns, especially with a price sensitive crowd.

3) Make shows 18+. I have no idea how difficult this would be (or even if it's legal in the township) but SS does have a decent following among the under 21 crowd.

4) Promote. Most venues do this, or pay someone to do it, and it works. Is this what you're referring to when you say "We do, however, recognize that Thursday is the only night that relies solely on the band for attendance." Other bands have regular gigs at Brownies--do you mean that you do promotion for them, but not for Splintered? Are you saying Splintered is not doing enough of their own promotion? Just wondering.

I guess in making your decisions I would only urge that you consider the value of a steady stream of loyal customers over the longer haul--even if this means that on some weeks, the stream isn't flowing quite as fast. But I know that Splintered fans are very resourceful and will do what's necessary to keep the band in their home. Just let us know what we need to do, and what sorts of solutions are realistic.

PS: As an addendum, $12 at $3 per beer is 4 beers per patron. Though I'd love to think that we all have a designated driver set up for Thursday nights, we don't. I'm not certain how much we can expect people to drink in a three hour span and still arrive home safely. Just a thought

[catfishsean]

I am glad to see that we had a grate turn out this past thursday. a large upgrade from the previous. If you guys come up with any promotions (posters, flyers, etc.), I would love to help out. I live a block away from Brownies and I work in West Chester. It would be easy and fun to go around and try to get some newbs. Let me know of anything I can do. Peace.