The Star Community Bar
Bar · Candler Park ·
Live music venue in former bank with Elvis shrine & patio
Live music venue in former bank with Elvis shrine & patio
"Housed in a former bank on Moreland, and after undergoing a change of ownership and avoiding (for now) the possibility of closure due to development, the divey Star Bar is alive and well still slinging drinks and hosting live shows and music ranging from funk to punk in Little Five Points. There’s even a shrine to Elvis hidden away in one of the former bank vaults." - Denise K. James
"Housed in a former bank on Moreland, and after undergoing a change of ownership and renovation, Star Bar is back open in Little Five Points for cocktails, beer, and live shows and music ranging from funk to punk." - Beth McKibben
"Hosting a Barbie party on July 30, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., featuring drink specials, vintage Barbie collectibles, food trucks, live music, and Barbie-themed artwork. Costumes are highly encouraged, especially rock star Barbie." - Beth McKibben
"A longtime Little Five Points dive bar and music venue housed in the old Citizens and Southern National Bank on Moreland Avenue, this spot opened in 1991 and became known for eclectic live music ranging from funk to punk, weekly comedy nights, and annual tribute festivals such as Bubbapalooza and Hollyfest. One of its most distinctive interior features is an old bank vault that serves as a shrine to Elvis, underscoring the venue’s quirky, historic character. The business has changed hands several times—sold to Kahle Davis in 2013, closed in December 2019, then taken over in 2020 by Luke Lewis, Christopher Jackson, Dan Meade, and Bruce McLeod, who refreshed and repaired the space—but now faces possible demolition as part of a broader redevelopment plan by Third & Urban and Point Center Partners that would preserve the adjoining Point Center building while replacing the bank structure with a new three-story development (restaurants, offices and apartments) and only potentially offering basement space for the venue if owners agree. The proposal has sparked community backlash and a petition (about 2,700 signatures so far, with a 5,000-signature goal) from residents and business owners who argue that demolishing the bank building would erase a culturally important, characterful anchor of Little Five Points." - Beth McKibben
"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