The Venue Live on Lansing’s Southside is the new place to be for music, specifically live jazz, in the Capital region.
Owned by Germaine Redding, the 16,000 square foot The Venue Live is a far cry from the L.A. Globe. The L.A. Globe closed 10 years ago and, though utilities were maintained, the city and the building owner sat on the property for 10 years waiting for the right owner to come along to create a positive entertainment avenue on the Southside.
“We believe in Lansing and we believe in Downtown,” says Mark King, a friend of Redding’s and a consultant for The Venue Live. “We’re boosters of creating this new environment everyone is talking about. You need places like this that can create a feeling like Atlanta or L.A.”
Redding used $100,000 to update the building. The two-story entertainment venue has three bars, a VIP room and a circular balcony that allows customers to watch the band and dancers from above. Live jazz Fridays attract a professional clientele, and the music and the free buffet draw quite a crowd.
“The people I have here with me are friends of mine I’ve known from growing up and college,” Redding says. “I went to them instead of going to outside sources.”
Redding has 30 part time employees and sees The Venue Live, which is opened Thursday through Saturday, as a good opportunity to give back to the community. He holds fundraisers at The Venue Live and wants to open The Venue Live to non-profits and community groups.
“It’s not just about trying to make a buck, but giving back to the community,” he says.
Redding is also an inventor. Several years ago, he created The Whole Story, a board game designed to go beyond the textbook and teach children about all aspects of American history. The Whole Story is not only in Lansing schools, it’s also sold by large retailers, such as Wal-Mart.
The Venue Live is located at 6810 S. Cedar and opened in February.
Source: Germaine Redding, The Venue
Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here.
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