The owner of a 2-month-old bar in Gainesville will open another bar three minutes away next week.
Lawrence Clay, 46, will host the grand opening of The Holy Pipe at 8 p.m. at 7 W. University Ave. on Friday.
The holy pipe, according to Native American history, was a peace pipe used to celebrate life events such as a victory or birthday, Clay said.
“We want people to come to our place to celebrate their special moments,” Clay said.
The bar is open to customers 21 and older, Clay said. It has a lounge area, dance floor and drinks such as $5 doubles and $7 cocktails.
Clay started investing in downtown Gainesville four years ago when he opened Elixir Lounge and Juice Bar, which is now permanently closed due to the lease term ending, he said.
He said he chose the space for The Holy Pipe because of its availability and the cost of its rent.
Bricks, his other bar, and The Holy Pipe are only a street away from each other, Clay said. He can walk from bar to bar and keep his eyes on them easily.
Gainesville Police have responded to six different incidents at Bricks since January, said GPD spokesperson Cpt. Jorge Campos.
Code Enforcement has no open building violations on either property, Kelly L. Lofland, the senior staff assistant for Gainesville Code Enforcement, wrote in an email.
Clay invested about $10,000 out of his own pocket updating and furnishing the space and financed the $120,000 liquor license, he said. He expects to turn a profit in two to three months.
Patrons will receive a free bottle of champagne and free cover for themselves and five friends for their birthday, Clay said.
“The Holy Pipe is unlike any other place in Gainesville,” Clay said. “We are changing the game.”
One of the co-owners of the Gainesville House of Beer, a neighbor of The Holy Pipe, says he is excited for the bar’s opening.
“My big theory is high tide raises all the ships,” Alex Whelpton, 28, said. “I don’t really look at it as competition. I look at it more as complimentary.”
Samantha Tetlak, a 21-year-old UF nutritional sciences junior, is ready to go to the new spot, where she says she can feel her age.
“It will be so refreshing knowing that I don’t have to go to Midtown and feel like a sardine in a swamp of freshmen,” Tetlak said.
Correction: The article was updated to reflect that the bar will open on Friday, March 29. The Alligator previously reported differently.
The Holy Pipe, a new Gainesville bar, at 7 W. University Ave., will open its doors for business at 8 p.m. tonight.
