Smith's Olde Bar Remaining Open Until End of Year

Staff Report

Dan Nolen, owner-operator of Smith’s Olde Bar, located in the Atlanta neighborhood of Morningside, proudly announces that both the entertainment venue and Nolen-Reeves Music office will remain in their original location through the end of 2015. Smith’s Olde Bar, one of Atlanta’s oldest and most iconic music clubs received an eviction notice on April 23. After 23 years at the same location, Nolen has spent the better part of the summer fighting for a mutually favorable lease extension with the landlord. On Friday, August 28, Nolen was able to work out an extension through the end of the year.

The original lease for Smith’s Olde Bar and Nolen-Reeves music was granted by Beverly Taylor, who passed away earlier this year at age 97. After Taylor’s death, her successors put the property up for auction and set August 28 as the deadline for offers.

Upon Mrs. Taylor’s death, her family significantly increased the rent and insurance coverage requirement on the space. The short term lease terms were increased to a level that the Nolen-Reeves Music and Smith’s Olde Bar businesses could not meet. The lease dispute was brought to Fulton County Court in July with the hopes of an extension through the end of this year for the tenant businesses.

“We very much would like to remain in the property which we have called home for the last 23 years. We have existing performance commitments to the bands booked through 2015 and obligations to our longtime employees who also did not see this coming,” said Dan Nolen, managing partner of Smith’s Olde Bar and Nolen-Reeves Music.

As of Friday, August 28, Smith’s Olde Bar and Nolen-Reeves Music came to lease agreement with the Taylor Family through December 31, 2015. The building is still up for sale and Nolen hopes to renegotiate the lease for the businesses to stay for many years to come.