Page 4 of Strike A Chord

“Oh yeah? Whatcha got?”

“Jason just called. They have a new guitarist and are looking for an acoustic gig to baptize him with. Wants to know if we’ve got room on the schedule.” Gods, please say yes. I loved their music and was more than over these dead ass nights. Sure, I got the bar stocked and deep cleaned during the downtime, but I’d much rather schlepp drinks and fill the till.

“Well, I was gonna talk to you about this tomorrow, but I need to get a few things off my plate. Working on a new investment. As my manager, and one with a wasted degree in finance, I’d like to talk to you about taking over all aspects of the bar. The books, the schedules.” He sighed. “Long story short, I’d like to sell you the bar. You in?”

Like he thought for a second I’d say no. “You know it.”

“I’ll be in tomorrow. Meet you around two, have Daniel come in early so you and I can meet in private.” That was an easy request to make. It was so dead tonight I had to send Daniel home early and I knew he’d be happy to make up the hours.

“You got it. See you then.” I immediately called Jason back and we set up a show for a week from today. That gave us both time to blast it across all social media outlets and for their new guitarist to get their songs down. I was super stoked as I grabbed the laptop from the office and got to work, tagging Jason and the band on the various platforms as I updated each.

The rest of the night flew by after that. I’d altered our usual flier, jazzed it up a bit and shot it over to Jason to use. I’d meet with Devon, the hotel manager, and give him a heads up tomorrow. They’d sold out a couple of times when the guys played before. It was a win-win on event nights, and I’d definitely reach out to more local bands and let them know we were open for shows.

My mind whirled with updates the bar needed and a million other things I’d wanted to do and could now implement, so sleep didn’t happen. Some of the refreshing the bar needed I could do myself which was even better. What most people didn’t know was in these franchise hotels each element was independently run, such as the bars and kitchens. Sure, there was a certain standard we had to adhere to, but past that it was all on us to keep up with general maintenance and keeping the place fresh.

“Afternoon, Reagan,” Harvey greeted me as I stepped inside. Daniel was here along with a handful of regulars, though Josh wasn’t among them.

“Hey, you’re early.”

“So are you.”

“Ha, I always am. Let me check in with Daniel and I’ll meet you in the office.” As Harvey headed toward the back where the office was, I popped behind the bar. “How’s it going?”

“Not much happening yet. Anything I need to worry about with Harvey here?” Harvey rarely came in, so I understood Daniel’s uncertainty. But he’d done a great job for me and had nothing to worry about.

“Quite the opposite, my friend. I’ll fill you in after our meeting.” I smiled and patted his shoulder then met up with Harvey in the cramped space we used for an office. I thought it was part of our inventory storage room that was converted, but it was better than nothing.

“Ready to get down to business?” Straight to the point, one of the many things I appreciated about Harvey.

“You sound like a man with a plan.” File folder and laptop set up, he was on a mission.

“I do and I’ve got the legal paperwork for you to sign.” I blinked a couple of times while that sank in.

“Legal papers?”

“Yes. You mentioned in passing some time ago you’d like to one day own a bar and after our conversation last night, well, I printed the paperwork I’d had drawn up some time ago. I mentioned it yesterday, did you miss that? You still on board?”

Blinking, not fully computing. I knew he mentioned my buying it, but my mind hadn’t hit the details portion that would entail. “Um, I think I need to read the documents first.”

“I’d have insisted you did so before signing. You’re like a son to me, Reagan, and I’m a bit protective. Take your time,” he handed me a file folder. “Read them and if you know a lawyer have them look it over. In the interim, let’s start transitioning managerial duties.” Over the next couple of hours we went over the budget, timesheets, payroll, deposits, all of which I was thankful I’d had a bit of insight into already, though my head still spun from information overload.

“Okay, what’s going on?” Daniel immediately asked as soon as Harvey left.

“Well, you’re looking at the new owner.”

“Wait, what? No way. Dude?” His nervous chatter had me fighting back laughter.

“Harvey sold the bar to me.” Excited. Anxious. Nearly shitting my pants. All emotions that swirled through the foggy mist of my brain. Was this the right choice for me? Who knew, but Harvey was correct when he stated it was the easiest way to get my feet wet in the path to owning my own bar. Sure, it wasn’t free standing nor in a prominent area. But it was what I was most familiar with. No upfront buy in, payments made over time. Yeah, I was gonna fucking do it.

“Congrats, man. I’m excited for you.”

“For us. I’m gonna need an assistant. You want the job?”

“You know it.” After a quick bro hug, we got to work. I filled Daniel in on the bands I wanted to invite back. He had an eye on the Seattle music scene, and I told him to feel free to give my number out to any performers he thought might be a good fit. We were limited in what we could allow but if they really wanted a shot, they’d figure it out. Pay was low but it was a chance to pimp new songs they’d been working on or in the case of Jason’s band, acclimate new members. Hell, I’d even allow them to set up a merch table if they desired.

By the time the weekend rolled around, my social media efforts had paid off and the bar had picked up these last couple days since I took over. News got around fast in our industry. The phone rang nonstop with up-and-coming bands begging for a slot. In no time at all our open mic nights were booked solid for the next three months and I was ecstatic. Marketing may not have been what my degree was in, but the classes I had taken had more than paid off.

We’d closed the kitchen a few years back but with the influx of patrons I created a simple bar food menu to test and see how that went. If we stayed busy, I’d consider hiring a cook and add more than finger foods. At least with the menu kept small the current staff and I could handle the cooking part without adding more to the payroll just yet.

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