El Club looks to expand, create community center

About a year ago, we featured the renovations happening at El Club, which has turned into a popular all-ages music venue since. Now they’re looking to renovate the building next door and a Kickstarter campaign has launched to help fund it.

They’re looking to activate the neighboring building into a multi-purpose community, cafe, performance space, and retail space. The basement will be converted into several practice spaces and a silk screen studio. The ground floor will house the Vernor Cafe and retail space, with a smaller performance space for open mic nights and readings. The top floor will have a gallery, plus rooms for workshops, art classes, and community meetings.

The building itself needs a lot of work. It dates back to the early 1900s and was a hardware store for years. El Club owner Graeme Flegenheimer recognizes the work that needs to go into it, but is ready for the challenge.

Since opening, El Club has hosted over 125 shows, with 20,000 club-goers. Their Kickstarter campaign and more information about The Vernor Cafe can be found here.