Don't be fooled by the
"shimmy poles" on stage at the new Eden Cafe and Cabaret in Springfield,
those are just for fun. They are reminders of the different kind of
performances that used to go on in the building, a former strip club.
After months of renovations, Eden Cafe and Cabaret owner Wade Davis
hopes to revive 1950s-style cabaret in Jacksonville and offer contemporary
entertainment in the historic district. A handful of other business
owners, including local arts pioneer Stephen Dare, share that goal and
plan toart houses in Springfield.
Ten art houses are scheduled toin Springfield over the next two
years. What's more, a growing number of artists and musicians are living
and working there.
Springfield's proximity to downtown and cheap real estate have lured
hopefuls to the area. But it's a new vision for the arts that keeps them
there.
"There really isn't a place in the city that has a local voice," said
Dare. "You can get all the Oklahoma you can stand over at the
community theaters, all of the flamingo art and palm trees that you can
deal with in the gallery scene, but there is no place for contemporary
dance, cabaret and spoken word poetry. What we are trying to do is come up
with a scene that is intellectually stimulating and has a space for dance
and performance."
Dare's Boomtown Theatre, a comfy, frumpy couch-filled performance venue
at 1714 N. Main St., will hold its grandng at 8 p.m. Saturday with
live music and spoken word poetry. Davis'ng at Eden Cafe and
Cabaret, 1648 N. Main St., is scheduled for the same night, at 10:30. Next
month, Lee Harvey, a Jacksonville artist who once operated a gallery in
Five Points, willa gallery in the front of the Boomtown.
In addition, Springfield artists will showcase their works during the
Springfield Preservation and Restoration Arts Committee's home tour May 18
and 19. SPAR organizes arts events in Springfield regularly.
Business owners say Springfield's new arts venues will contribute to
Jacksonville's downtown revitalization and perhaps create the arts hub
that cultural patrons have dreamed of for years. They are certain that
artists will be the springboard for these efforts and are glad that City
Hall is taking notice by investing in Springfield's infrastructure.
"Springfield is a different kind of neighborhood than it was three
years ago. It just needs the support services and entertainment venues to
support the people that are already there and those that are coming," said
developer Craig Van Horn, who has invested $2 million in renovations in
Springfield since 1998. Former Dallas developer Paul Shockey is also
spearheading residential development in the area.
Though Van Horn and Shockey have concentrated on residential
development, they're ready to jump headfirst into entertainment offerings.
By next year, Van Horn should have the Art Deco Center Theatre, a 240-seat
performing arts center at 1800 N. Main St., ready forng.
Creative outlets like spoken word poetry and modern and alternative
dance call for progressive audiences. Springfield's art house owners are
confident there will be a steady audience.
"People will see such a change in Springfield," Davis, 29, said. "It
will be the new place to go, the exciting place to be because you are
going to see art forms that you never dreamed of in a hillbilly town. You
won't see anything like this in another part of town."
Others say the new venues also will give artists a place to go.
"Within the arts community, especially over the last few years, you see
a new desire among artists that want to express themselves creatively but
don't have a place to do that," said Courtenay Bowser, a life-long
Jacksonville resident involved in the city's performing arts scene.
"Especially young people in their 20s and 30s."
Bowser said she supports the Springfield art scene because she thinks
it will cater to different kinds of artists.
The city is also giving Springfield a vote of confidence by funding
street renovations, lighting and landscaping,with the major work taking
place where most of the art houses are. Some say it is another indication
of a Cinderella-like makeover.
But it's not completely there yet.
One clear obstacle to Springfield's growth is its reputation as a rough
area of town.
"I think it's great that there's a possibility that there will be new
venues in Springfield, but I must admit that I still don't feel safe
there," said Brandon Choy, 29, an arts patron from Jacksonville Beach.
"They've done amazing things in that community, and I can only predict
more progress. In two or three years, I may very well frequent the
establishments there."
Bowser said she would go to Springfield for entertainment, but only
with a group of people.
People like Bowser and Choy are who the developers and art house owners
hope to attract, a younger crowd that can appreciate performance art with
an eclectic kind of feel. And Choy appreciates that they are trying to
offer it.
"I absolutely think that there should be a wider variety of
entertainment options in Jacksonville and the surrounding area. As a city,
we've made a tremendous amount of progress ... there's room for more,"
Choy said. "As the city gets more diverse, the need for different forms of
entertainment increases. "
The question becomes whether arts owners can afford to wait out a
complete renovation, which is still a few years off.
Davis and Dare say yes. They say they are in it for the long haul.
"There really is no way to fail," Harvey said. "This is our life. This
comes from the fact that we want to be entertained. And everyone else is
just as bored as we are, and they're looking for us for entertainment."
Adds Davis: "We are investing all of our time, our love, our energy
into these venue, and I think it will be an extreme success. If it fails,
we fail, and that's not something we're used to doing."
Ivette M. Yee can be reached at (904) 359-4697 or at iyee.
