Atlanta Live Music Venue and Dive Bar Institution Star Bar Reopens in Little Five Points Under New Ownership | Eater Atlanta

"After closing last January and changing ownership, I was relieved to see this divey live-music institution on Moreland Avenue in Little Five Points reopen under Christopher Jackson, Luke Lewis, Dan Meade, and Bruce McLeod. The reopening starts with cocktails in the Little Vinyl Lounge and on the back patio downstairs from the main bar area, with limited-capacity live shows slated to begin in June and masks required for all staff and patrons inside until further notice. The new owners say they’ll be easing back into things this summer and are cautiously optimistic about a full entertainment calendar by fall; beyond a fresh coat of paint, repairs, and a deep cleaning, they intend to keep the bar largely the same, including Star Bar’s iconic bank-vault shrine to Elvis known as the “Grace Vault.” Opened in 1991 by David Heany and Marty Nolan inside an old C&S Bank, the bar built a reputation for eclectic musical acts (funk to punk), weekly comedy shows, and annual festivals like Bubbapalooza and Hollyfest; Heany died in 2018. The venue’s previous owner Kahle Davis abruptly closed it at the end of 2019 amid landlord negotiations, but an agreement had been reached months earlier to lease the property to new owners committed to reopening." - Beth McKibben