Cheap Shots was first up last night on the CB3/SLA docket.... Back in June, the fuzz busted the First Avenue joint for
allegedly serving minors... (and I thought the new incarnation was to be called Spanky and Darla's? Well, no matter... this wasn't mentioned... )
The bar's attorney was there, as was the newish owner ... she also owns the lost bra parlor the
Patriot Saloon down on Chambers (where they were hiring "
shameless slut bartenders" — woo!) ... anyway, the kindly lawyer, who struck me as a little grandfatherly, discussed how the bar has been trying to change its image.... with a straight face, the lawyer said Cheap Shots had a reputation for being "a young person's bar."
So! The management:
• Removed all the video games
• Cleaned off all the graffiti from the interior
• Changed the jukebox
• Added soundproofing
• Removed the all-you-can-drink-for-free special for people who were celebrating their birthday
• Stopped
serving pitchers of beer with shots in them (truck bombs! Woo!)
(I haven't been here since the spring or so, so I can't independently verify any of these claims...)
And so on... There have been four recent complaints under the new ownership....one in December, two in March and one in June... But the owner said that they've had friendly discussions with neighbors... and helped rectify noise problems... Per the underage bust, they now have two bouncers working on weekends and an ID scanner... two residents spoke out against the bar... one resident said that she felt uncomfortable walking by the bar when the patrons are outside smoking. She said she found their body language —
unpleasant.
The owner seemed genuenly concerned upon hearing this... A CB3 board member suggested that the bar figure out a sidewalk traffic control system,
perhaps adding a corral to keep people more separated from passersby....
In the end, the committee approved a license renewal for Cheap Shots...
After hearing about the bar's efforts to be less youth friendly, I decided to walk by after the meeting... and here's the sign greeting folks on the sidewalk...
