- Scott Whittall
Cafe owner hopes change to Shakers piano bar brings more people back to Cedar Springs
DAVID TAFFET | Staff Writer
taffet@dallasvoice.com
Scott Whittall hoped to have his new piano bar Shakers open on Cedar Springs Road by February, but new Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission rules kicked in recently and have delayed the process.
Now, before a license application process begins, a sign announcing the application must be posted for 60 days.
That sign is now posted in the front window of Buli, which will become Shakers. Whittall said he is hoping for a May opening.
The name Buli will be retired, Whittall said. The new name of the larger space will be Shakers. Whittall said it will be a piano bar, but food will be served, too.
Once the 60-day waiting period ends, the application process begins. Previously, the sign didn’t have to be posted until the process began.
Further delays could result from the flood of new applications TABC has received as a result of the wet/dry election in Dallas County in November. More than 50 locations have already applied for licenses in Oak Cliff. Only a few have been approved so far.
Whittall and his partner, Alan Goode, have already signed a lease on the property next to Buli that was formerly occupied by Zen Clips. The two spaces have been listed as one by the city since the early 1990s when Oak Lawn Flower Mart occupied both.
Whittall hopes that will speed the permitting process for renovations.
Whittall said business on Cedar Springs was up and down. He hoped that Shakers would attract a larger crowd.
Hours of operation haven’t been decided, Whittall said, but the bar would remain open until 2 a.m. Food would be a part of the mix, he said, but sandwiches served in lunch boxes would probably go away.
“We want to bring it up a level,” he said.
The Zen Clips space gives the new business a back entrance opening to the parking lots. And while interior plans are not finalized, Whittall said he expected the bar to be where the serving counter now stands and the stage will be in the new space. The patio will be extended and partially enclosed.
While owners are wading through the approval process for a liquor license, Buli will remain open, serving food and coffee.
The piano bar format has been a staple on Cedar Springs for years. Alexandre’s was the last with a piano. Before that, Michaels, which was in the building now occupied by Woody’s, was a popular piano bar.
Pekers on Oak Lawn Avenue has live entertainment with Gary Poe performing at the piano every Friday night.
Bill’s Hideaway on Buena Vista Avenue closed in 2009. Lonzie Hershner, who operates the Tin Room and Drama Room, has leased the space and is doing extensive renovations.
He said that he is just beginning the liquor and dance hall application process.
Hershner said he plans to open the patio during the day serving smoothies with water for pets hoping to attract people coming off the Katy Trail. His vision is for the front house to be a piano-jazz bar.
Hershner said the bar will be named Marty’s Hideaway in memory of his brother, who opened the other two bars and died suddenly last year.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition Jan. 28, 2011.
Sad to see this business turning into yet another bar for the strip. From what I hear, Buli is quite popular with people in the neighborhood. Too bad really, I guess everyone will have to go to Starbucks for their coffee now that Buli and the former Crossroads Market coffee shops will both be gone. One of the things that makes the Cedar Springs “GLBT strip” so great is its fair mix of day- and night-time businesses.
Sad to see Buli retired. Buli filled the need left when Crossroads went away. Now I guess I will have to find another place to have coffee and conversation. Too bad there aren’t more non-alcohol venues on the strip, but I understand the economics of a bar.
I sorta agree with the poster above. If the strip wants to stay viable, it needs more places to “hang out’ during the day. A coffee shop like Buli really filled a niche on the strip. I think Buli should have just been expanded into the new space. My only complaint about the place was that it was too small, and it often felt cramped when I was there. I really hope the new bar works out and I wish it much luck, but FYI, West Village is looking gayer than the “gay strip” these days.
I am deeply saddened that Buli will no longer be in existence. Personally, I enjoyed the food and relaxing schmooze factor. There’s nowhere else on Cedar Springs with even a remotely similar atmosphere. More effin pianos and liquor? C’mon. Really, Scott? Let’s think demographic just for a second: the twenty-somethings couldn’t give two tops about a piano bar. They want Internet, coffee and a place to meet a date or at least get one while cruising OK Cupid. I looked forward to the Kickin’ Chicken Salad when I visited Dallas. Booooooooo. FAIL.
this is horrible news. once again a nice refreshing quaint place one can stop and eat at, read the paper or just talk over coffee is turing into a BAR? a PIANO BAR at that? truly a horrible idea but i can understand the owners from an economical standpoint. i like money more than people too. on the other hand this venture will more than likely fail. it simply does not fit into the strip, imo. there is, afterall, a reason a piano bar hasn’t been a staple for years. and why they were so somber and sparse when they were. i guess i’ll head to buli’s this w-end fo my last box lunch. you know…to wane myself off it starting now.
I am also sad about Buli closing. As a resident of Oaklawn, who is not a regular at the bars, it was nice having a coffee-shop that you could go and hang out, read, meet friends or take visitors for desert. I’m not sure we need another bar on the strip. Oh well, my money will now be funneled to the Starbucks on Knight… BIG SIGH!
Lame! I agree, I don’t think the owner of Buli is going to see the return he’s hoping for and we lose a great place in the process. boooo.
There was a month where I went to Buli every day, and my girlfriend and I ordered the same two sandwiches, and would sit and drink iced tea and read the Voice. I’m really sad that Scott thinks that this is the direction he needs to go in. Oak Lawn does not need another bar.
Does he not realize Alexandres is already on the strip? Do we need two of the same concept? I’m confused? What a loss to the strip to lose a nice quaint place to just hang out and check email, read the paper, grab a drink and a bite to eat! I hope someone smart comes along and opens something in the vacant space next to Tapelenders along this line.
It’s quiet obvious that the Cedar Springs Merchants don’t give a damn about to people who actually live in Oak Lawn. They want the weekend warriors. Their money is the only thing that counts. If they really did care about building a neighborhood and a community, they would promote places that appeal to the daytime/residential crowd. Their food and drinks are not that great but it was the only place where you were not bound to see drunk people (cafe brazil does not count).
I’m sad to see Buli go as well. I used to be a regular when I lived in the gayborhood, but can’t get down there like I used to anymore.
I could see the writing on the wall. First went the real gelato, then the shortened hours, and what I thought to be a slight loss of quality in the menu items. Sometimes, table squatters would force us to move on for lunch. I love the place, but there’s no money made on people who come in, buy a cup of coffee and use a table as their personal office for hours…and spending 3 or 4 bucks. Quite frankly, I’m surprised that Scott’s kept it open this long. I know that it’s not been a big moneymaker for him, but kept it open for the community and his employees. Any business has to make money, or it needs to evolve…or close. I don’t harbor any resentment for his desire to evolve the business. I think the strip is turning into a “gay-entertainment” district rather than as a gay community strip.
Is the new piano bar a place I’ll go to? I’ll probably check it out, but I won’t be a regular. I’m not the bar-hopper that I used to be and appreciate places like Buli as a place to have lunch, hang out with friends, etc.
if you’re not a weekend warrior, the strip doesn’t really offer what it used to in the past.
Good Luck Scott!
starbucks/lemmon and buli have long been the meet/squat at a table for hours place for a lot of people in the aa/recovery movement…as a lot them do not want to congregate in bars for obvious reasons. unfortunately a lot of these people think purchasing a coffee (or purchasing nothing and using wi-fi for hours) will prop a business up. no it will not…and as mentioned in another post…people start businesses (typically) to make money…not out of some sense of largesse to the gay community. that being said, i hope the new establishment does well…however, bars are not the big attraction they used to be. people meet on manhunt/craigslist etc. now.
Sad! i will miss this place too! I’ve gotten into the habit of going there Sunday nights for carrot cake and coffee; was a nice place to chill and browse the internet. i understand alcohol sales is the way to make money, but there is definitely something to be said for ‘community’, versus just another generic entertainment district lined with one bar after the other.
I’d love to see a real pool hall on the strip somewhere, with leagues and occasionally a live band; or maybe a Greek restaurant; i mostly go down there for shopping these days anyway; i love variety, i can get a drink anywhere…
Sad news. If you are looking for a new coffee house check out Global Peace Factory in Frisco, Texas. We are a gourmet coffee house that serves meals, unique cheeses, fine wine and beers. We are dedicated to making Dallas a better place, and we donate a percentage of every sale to a local Dallas Charity. Global Peace Factory is working towards a world in peace, not in pieces. Come in and enjoy some delicious coffee while making the world a better place! Every Cup Counts!
Open a Global Peace Factory on Cedar Springs!
First Crossroads now Buli’s. Where will I get freshly toasted bagels with cream chese, that amazing egg salad pannini, and hot chocolate in those giant mugs? No one does it like Buli’s. Despite the loss I hope Shakers makes a lot of money, and it probably will. What kind of food will Shakers have? Are you going to auction off the old lunch boxes? 😉 I will definitly give Shakers food a try. If it’s from Scott you know it’s going to be good.
Why can’t it stay Buli like in the day and get Shakerie in the night?! 🙁 I don’t understand why we have to lose one to get the other. 🙁
I agree with Elizabeth…a good example was Backbeat Cafe in downtown….it had a cafe section with couches and tables and a live venue section for musicians, spoken word nights and other events…that would be actually cool
Scott and Alan will do an amazing job I’m sure. They have such a good insight into what will be successful that I’ll trust they will make the new place amazing!
I agree with Chris! Scott and Alan are intelligent guys, and I have every confidence that they are committed to the gay community. They have certainly demonstrated this with their past actions. I too will miss Buli. I believe every gay community should have a gay-owned and operated coffee shop and a LBGTQ-oriented bookstore, but sometimes we in the “community” are not as loyal as we should be to “family” owned businesses. The bar scene has changed all across the U.S., and I agree that many of those less than age 35 are not into the bar scene. If Shakers caters to the LGBTQ crowd age 35 and older, I believe it will be a successful venture. Many thanks to Scott and Alan for caring about and investing in the LGBTQ community! I’m looking forward to Happy Hour at Shakers!
Talk about no good deed goes unpunished. These guys have provided a great community service with their business. Now they want to enhance it and get a more profitable return on what has to be a significant investment and they are getting pretty widely slammed for it. Just imagine what all these customers who have enjoyed Buli’s great hospitality would have said if these businessmen had fairly passed along their real costs for all that leisurely visiting and lounging. Give me a break. Are these people in dream land?
Instead Buli looks around and sees another service that could be provided and invests their own money to take a risk that it will succeed. I applaud them for that. I think it is a great idea. I think it will succeed. I will be a big supporter. As others will see, there is a large market of patrons who want and will support a nicely run piano/cabaret type bar. And another. And another. Lots of us, older and younger, are staying home when we would like to go out and be entertained. I say bravo and I absolutely wish Shakers every success.
Not surprised to hear that Buli’s is closing. They had the advantage, after Crossroads closed, of being the only place like this on the strip. Many other cities have places like this that thrive, even with a Starbucks and other competitors in the area. Buli’s was simply poorly run. It’s not that the clientele isn’t there, it’s that the owner didn’t understand this type of business.
Sorry to hear this place is closing. Sad to see another bar going in as well. I think the strip is stronger the more diverse it is. I find it funny however when I hear people say gays are not loyal. Having worked in marketing and demographics consulting for over 25 years I found quite the opposite to be the case. Too often I’ve seen gay business owners think that because they are gay, that gays will flock to them. They still have to compete as a business. An example in the case of Buli’s is they charged about the same as Starbucks for a coffee that was poor quality.
If they aren’t able to compete with Alexanders, maybe they can try a country western bar and compete with Round-up, or a pharmacy and complete with Walgreens. ; ) In any case I wish them luck!
Coming Soon to Cedar Springs, THE COFFEE LAB! (Wishing all the best to Shakers Piano Bar in their new endeavors.) We couldn’t be more excited to fill in the missing link in the Oak Lawn area. We are hoping to meet and exceed the expectations of coffee drinkers and/or folks just looking for a place to meet up and enjoy an awesome environment with a 3rd Wave Coffee experience. We understand the need to have a place to hang and enjoy some free WiFi. Please visit our website and follow us on twitter and facebook for updates on our opening. https://www.thecoffeelab.net/
I like the idea of a piano bar but sucks that the will be losing the lunch box sandwhiches. I thought it was a unique presentation and one reason I took my friends their. I’ll miss the current offerings and feel, but wish them the best.