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The blue paint on the exterior of Hal & Al’s Bar is bright enough to make anyone do a double-take when driving by. The only problem is that you might not normally have too many reasons to make the trek down Parsons Avenue to notice it. After spending some time off the radar, the secret is slowly getting out that Hal & Al’s is worth the special trip. Their weekly event lineup keeps people entertained and their drink menu keeps people happy on the cheap. We recently chatted with Manager Dan Ores to find out a bit more about this new Southside spot.
Walker Evans: The location at 1297 Parsons has been home to some other venues in the past. What was appealing to you about reinventing this space?
Dan Ores: Well, I have been in this industry for a while. Before I did this I actually worked for the House of Blues for 12 years. I opened the Cleveland venue and I opened the Chicago venue back in ‘96.
The building that houses Hal & Al’s was home to a place called The Closet, and it was a Nascar bar for awhile too. There is a lot of history here. Even further back it used to be a movie theater, called “The Paris Theater”, I believe.
WE: Very cool. The location is a bit remote from many of the more established “nightlife” areas. Has it been a challenge to get people to come down to try the place out?
DO: I personally think this is a great location because of that challenge. Every time people hear that we’re on Parsons they cringe a bit at first… it’s understandable, but I think it’s a little ridiculous at the same time. I mean, if you’ve driven by here before you’ll know that we’re actually in a good spot with close proximity to the German Village and Merion Village neighborhoods. I used to live right up the street on Gates. I love this neighborhood, I think it’s fine.
WE: Yeah, the Parsons corridor is definitely an neighborhood that has been on the decline for quite a long time, but its great to have a couple of new businesses willing to help breathe a little life back into it.
DO: Oh yeah, I am down for the challenge. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been two and a half months so far and it’s definitely been a slow start. I have read a few books on slow nights… let’s put it that way. But the word is getting around and people are coming in to enjoy the atmosphere, the beer selection and the music. It depends what kind of mood I’m in, but I like to play a lot of different kinds of alternative music. It’s kind of like CD101, but with a little more of an edge to it.
WE: Yeah, I’ve noticed on your website that you guys have a lot of special nights. Can you talk a little about some of those… which ones are the popular ones?
DO: Tuesday we have the open mike night, with a $50 prize at the end of the night. We have a screen set up where you can text and vote for your favorite musician. Our iPod night is similar with the texting and voting as well. We give you a half hour to play whatever you want with your iPod, and then at the end of the night we have prizes. Last night I gave away a pair of tickets for the upcoming G Love show. We have good crowds for that night, and the interaction is fun. Last night it was such a mix, one minute you are hearing Death Cab for Cutie and then next thing you know you are hearing Guns N Roses.
WE: Sounds like fun.
DO: Yeah. Also, on Fridays we have a night called “The Beat Oracle”. Basically you come in and we have all the lights dimmed, and they play some weird stuff on DVD’s and experiment with electronic hip-hop ambient dub music. If you come here with a group of friends it would make for nice background music.
WE: Sounds pretty unique.
DO: Definitely. On Saturday we have all original music… no cover bands and never a cover at the door. We’re booked solid through October. This Saturday we have Failure Savvy and next week is My Favorite Shadow. I try to make a point to showcase different genres of music every week. If I don’t do something different every day it starts to feel like I’m just like eating the same sandwich everyday. It’s going to get boring and stale and you’re going to get bored with it. I need to mix it up, especially with a location like this and still being a new venue.
WE: Has the response been pretty good so far with people who have stopped in?
DO: Yeah! Last week the iPod night had a great crowd and a nice mix of people… one of the owners from Milk Bar was here, and a bunch of people from Bodega. People come to hear music, but they also love the beer selection. I have this thing at the top of the cooler that I call “The Top Shelf”. It contains Busch, Coors Original, Stroh’s, Milwaukee’s Best, Blatz, and Burger Beer, all for a buck apiece. We also have some really nice beers too, like Rogue, Dogfish Head and Bell’s.
WE: Cool. We’re already looking forward to the Columbus Underground event we have coming up next week.
DO: Yeah, we’ll set up some cornhole and make some pizzas and have a great time!
WE: Excellent. Thanks again for taking the time today.
More information can be found online at HalAndAls.com.
There is another reason to drive down Parsons. The hardware store at the corner of Parsons and Morrill is a real jewel. Knowledgeable and helpful staff, stuff for old houses that Lowes doesn’t have, (they even fix windows) and the best price on hot water heaters anywhere. There is also a great cobbler (yes, a guy who fixes shoes!) on the corner of Parsons and Hinman
Thanks for the insight, and I’ll just summarize again that Parsons is ready to become a mini-High St if only a handful more destinations open up close by. None of the parking problems of High St, crime is comparable to other urban commercial streets (more of an image problem here), and it’s got some solid urban buildings. More so than any other urban street, so it’s really the best bet for urban revitalization.
To the north are some fixer-uppers, but with a little imagination you can see a couple of renovated buildings with a cafe and a (inexpensive) bistro in the place of that empty white building and that pawn shop.
To the south is an entire block of storefronts that could be gussied up a bit. Apparently The Closet was here after(?)/before(?) it moved to where Hal & Al’s is.
I just find it funny that, as far as I know, the Short North was quite a bit worse than what Parsons is now, yet for some reason people think that Parsons is off limits and will never change, even though the Short North shows that it doesn’t have to be that way. See? I’m not nearly as negative as people think. Now go spend some cash on Parsons!
The only “problem” I see with Parsons is that it is a mixed corridor unlike High Street from Downtown all the way up beyond the Campus area. Parsons has a block or two of businesses, then a block or two of homes, and so on. Not that it’s an awful problem to have, but I think it could detract from the same time of “commercial corridor” feel that High Street has.
But I digress… Hal & Al’s sounds like it should be a good destination spot for the neighborhood. I stopped in very briefly last night, but I’m looking forward to checking it out next Wednesday for our happy hour there. :D
Thanks, Walker for the article, look forward to next week’s happy hour social.
Dan
Walker: Did you ask the owner why he hates Steely Dan?
I don’t hate Steely Dan, I just don’t get it.
steely dan sucks for real. combine that truth with the previously mentioned good beer selection and ipod nights and that equals i want to go there. are there rules for that? i can impose a brutal half hour of black metal upon unsuspecting patrons? or an abrasive half hour single track of 60′s avant garde jazz? that’d be cool.
Good luck with the bar! Too bad about the anti-Dan angle though.
I’m listening to this right now…as a matter of fact
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzaQ0rcCNos
I’m bringing my iPod for 30 minutes of all Steely Dan. :)
Bring whatever kind of music you wish. That’s what iPod night is all about. Giving away tickets for CD 101 Summerfest and there’s also the CU Social before that, good times.
I went there last night and have nothing but good things to say. The place was cool with friendly service. I also enjoyed the side patio for a bit. They have a great beer selection and the music was right on. I’d recommend checking this place out if you haven’t yet.
We went again on Friday and had a great time, yet again. It was getting packed compared to earlier visits. It’s so encouraging to see so many people venturing to Parsons for this great spot.
Too bad you couldn’t have made it over for the CU Meetup, JoeV. How much closer can we make it to your house before you show up to one? ;)
Well, I did have an excuse – I was on a conference call for work until 7:30. I’m also the world’s worst mingler.
My wife and I are buying a home just down the street from Hal and Al’s on Gates, and visited the bar last Friday. We had a GREAT time. Super beer selection, nice laid-back atmosphere, great bartender, and nice people. PLUS…I got to play Super Mario Brothers on the big screen for free while drinkin a beer and listening to some good beats. I mean…can you beat that…really???