Ballroom blitz

J.R.’s Dickson Street Ballroom won’t be vacant for long. We hear owner Richard Shewmaker already has a new tenant for the Fayetteville building. David Bass, a former manager at George’s Majestic Lounge, plans to open a live music hall, Dave’s on Dickson, after J.R.’s vacates.

J.R.’s Ballroom, which is owned by Jimmy Rapert, Chris King and Benton Bandy, is looking for new, larger location. The Ballroom gained a reputation over the past two years for bringing nationally prominent bands and entertainment to Dickson Street.

The Ballroom owners paid $4,000 per month the first year they had the 8,900-SF space. The rent was raised to $5,500 per month last year in accordance with the lease singed between Shewmaker and the renters. Shewmaker attempted to raise the rent to $6,500 per month for the next year when the Ballroom owners decided to vacate.

Even at that price, Shewmaker says the Ballroom was a bargain, comparable in price to “warehouse space in the industrial park” instead of barroom space in the fashionable Dickson Street area.

“Business is business,” says Shewmaker. “I was hoping they [the Ballroom owners] would be able to negotiate something within the time frame.”

Shewmaker says the Ballroom owners didn’t come through, so he signed a contract with Bass instead.

J.R.’s Ballroom has entertainment scheduled to appear through March, although their lease runs out at the end of February. The owners are negotiating to stay at the location another month.