click to enlarge Courtesy Mahall's
Rendering of The Roxy exterior and new entrance on the east side of Mahall's
Since taking over operations at Mahall's in 2021, partners Cory Hajde, Sue Shestina and Joseph Pavlick have balanced history with progress.
Pins & Needles, a '70s-style bar debuted downstairs, Parky's pop-ups took over the kitchen, concert bookings increased.
Come fall, progress will kick into overdrive a bit when they open a new 800-person auditorium with a full bar, a new ADA entrance on the east side of the building (as shown in the rendering above), and the addition of gender-neutral bathrooms with floor-to-ceiling stall dividers.
The new space, named The Roxy "in honor of the dance hall that thrived in this space during the 1920s and '30s," will host concerts, and just about any other event you can dream up, in what were for decades the upstairs lanes.
The main concert room and The Apartment will both remain and host smaller concerts and parties.
"As we got through the pandemic, we kind of noticed a demand for a larger space for events," Hajde told Scene. "We really don't have anything of that size on the west side of Cleveland, and the west side has become more of destination space for parties and events."
The partners had already been considering what to do with the upstairs lanes, an area that was in need of considerable maintenance, as they looked to maximize how they used the complex's 20,000 square feet.
"The one area of the building that hasn't been touched in over 50 years was those lanes," he said. "We needed a new roof, we needed a new HVAC, just updated safeety stuff. We were talking about the mechanical side of it, how much it would cost, and we felt we should utilize the space more for what the demand of the community is instead of just keeping them bowling lanes."
Yes, Mahall's 20 lanes will now be Mahall's 10 lanes, but those original ones in the basement will get a facelift, he said, and material from the upstairs ones has and will be repurposed in the upcoming project.
That preservation is something he and his team talked about when they purchased majority ownership from Kelly Flamos and Pavlik two years ago.
"I told them I am really interested in all this space because I want to be able to utilize it all and make the most of it," he said. "We wanted to continue that goal of preservation that Kelly had."
Hajde said adding more event space will also create additional revenue that will allow him and his team to "create a more equitable system for our employees."
"One of the problems in solely relying on food and beverages sales, they're so tip heavy and wages are low. One of my goals in this is to increase wages and generate more income," he said.
Subscribe to Cleveland Scene newsletters.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter