By
Graig Uhlin
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Owner hopes to retain same atmosphere as former Sixth
The Velvet Tea Garden plans to reopen its doors at a new Fourth Avenue location this February after its December eviction from its former site at the corner of Sixth Street and Sixth Avenue.
"We are going to trying to keep the same integrity of the Velvet - the same look, the same feel," owner Bill Johnson said. "A lot of people think we'll do better on Fourth than we did on Sixth."
Elaine Enriquez, a frequent patron of the Velvet Tea Garden before its closing, agreed. She said she hopes that when she returns to the Velvet after it reopens that Johnson will retain the same atmosphere which she defines as "very eclectic, very artsy."
"I hope that (Johnson) stays consistent with the format of the place," said Enriquez, a religious studies senior. "It's definitely not a club. It's just a hang out place. I hope that he keeps that going. I think he will be really successful on Fourth Ave."
The Velvet Tea Garden closed after its owner lost a court battle to hold off the eviction notice. The company that owns the building, Firestone Building LLC, said Johnson owed $8,590 in back rent.
Johnson, however, disputed their claim, saying he had been making payments according to the lease signed by the original owner where concessions had been made for building problems, including a leaky roof and inadequate air conditioning. Johnson did not acquired ownership of the coffeehouse until in April 1999
"(The buidling's owner) expected me not to question the concessions that had been given to the original owner and pay him based on what the contract said in the lease," Johnson said.
Johnson said he continued to make payments while negotiating a new lease but talks between the two parties broke down after Johnson returned from California where he was attending to family problems.
"I came back to town - several weeks had passed - and the building owner had decided he wasn't going to deal with me anymore," he said.
The owner issued a declaration signifying the end of the lease, to be effective at midnight on Dec. 8. Johnson then hired a lawyer.
"That's when things got worse," he said.
Johnson's lawyer, on the day that the disputed rent dollar amounts were due, sent a fax to the attorneys of the building's owner advising them not to follow through, on their threat of foreclosure, and to continue negotiating until a resolution could be reached, Johnson said.
The offer was rejected. Johnson filed an injunction but lost the court battle, forcing him to relocate the coffeehouse.
"When I heard that it was closing, I thought that was really unfortunate," Enriquez said. "It was an innovative kind of place. It's hard to keep small business running."
Johnson said the new Velvet Tea Garden will continue to feature live music every night, as well as Djs on Friday and Saturday nights.
"We are going to try to (still) promote local artists which was something I worked really hard on (at the original location) because we were in the arts district," Johnson said.
Among the changes planned, Johnson said that the new location will have more space, an expanded menu and indoor/outdoor eating. He added that the coffeehouse will benefit from the walk-in traffic of Fourth Avenue, which he said would be good for business but also has a downside.
"The Velvet was more of a destination place, the one place they would go and that would be it," he said.
The coffeehouse's closing has caused much inconvienance and disappointment, Johnson said, and he is eager to get the Velvet back up and running. He still needs to acquire the appropriate permits and approvals for the reopening.
"If I could get it done sooner, I would," Johnson said.
Graig Uhlin can be reached at catalyst@wildcat.arizona.edu.
