Milestone Campaign from Matt K. Clum on Vimeo.
"Alright friends, here it is, the proverbial “Cat out of the bag”...
We need your help. The Milestone Club as we know and love it is in desperate need of a serious renovation and repair to the point that we won’t be able to operate as we are for much longer and that sounds awful and terrifying and pretty much like the worst news anyone could possibly have to share... So, for that, I’m sorry...
Head over to Go Fund Me to offer financial support
We also are currently faced with the opportunity for our team along with the help of some local friends to buy and own the property that the Milestone sits on along with the adjoining plots of land including our neighboring business “The Last Pitcher Show.”
The Catch: the investors interested in helping us buy the property are only on board if we can provide the means for the much needed repairs so that the entirety of the property is being used to benefit and feed into our community as it grows and changes over the next several years.
The Gist: Some really great folks are willing to invest in the future of the Milestone so that we can have it for at least 50 more years but only if we’re able to raise the money to fix the things that desperately need fixing... which is a lot... And if we can’t come up with it... we don’t have much of a chance at a future and it could be curtains closing on what we’ve spent the last 46 years falling in love with.
That’s that. It’s not anyone’s fault. It’s not the city screwing us or anything... it’s just time taking a toll on things. We don’t want to ask for anyone’s help. We’ve always just gotten by... but that said... we’ve always gotten by. We’ve never paid our rent late. We’ve never had our utilities cut off. We’ve never not paid a band what they were promised or earned. We’ve done it honest and we just want to keep giving our hearts and efforts back to you guys. Please watch the video in the body of the gofundme page and read the sentiment from Stephanie as well and share this as far and wide as you can... we love you guys. If you have it in you to help... we could certainly use it. I promise we’ll make the best of it and give you back tenfold worth of the best damn rock n’ roll club of all time."
-Jon Hughes
A note from Stephanie Hughes:
(current co-owner)
In a city that is ever changing, neighborhoods that are almost unrecognizable when compared to their former selves, there are very few constants in the evolution of the city of Charlotte, none more evident than in the realm of live music.
In the past year the face of the local music scene in the Queen City has changed dramatically, with the loss of Tremont Music Hall, The Chop Shop, and Tommy's Pub. One could call the west side institution, The Milestone Club, the underdog of the music scene, that one constant that has been a haven for up-and-coming musicians since 1969.
The no-frills, graffiti covered, floor-to-ceiling sticker plastered Enderly Park haunt has hosted most notably Nirvana, R.E.M, Melissa Ethridge, Bad Brains, Against Me!, the Go-Gos, Fugazi, and Black Flag in its almost 50 year tenure, long before their days of international superstardom, as well as countless local, regional, and national touring acts.
With a history as legendary as The Milestone's, the rickety Tuckaseegee Road club has managed to survive the eras of new wave, grunge, hardcore, post-punk, and everything in between, lived to tell the tale, but not without its share of battle scars. Undoubtedly, the structure has seen better days since the original building was constructed over 100 years ago. The Milestone Club is badly in need of repair to continue to be the constant the city of Charlotte needs.
Owned by Bill Flowers since the late '60s, under the operation of Neal Harper, and for the past six years, Jonathan Hughes, the ceiling has been patched, bathrooms renovated several times, and the foundation reinforced until these repairs are no longer effective. In short, The Milestone is to the point of needing a true renovation, and not just a "quick fix."
With the impending sale of the property to Carlos Espin in spring 2016, known as the founder of Area 15, the small business incubator in NoDa, there is an opportunity to restore the building to its former glory. Plans for a new HVAC, new roof, office space in the now unused and unsafe second floor of the club's "bar room" are all necessary improvements for both the functionality and safety of you, our beloved patrons. These are costly and much needed repairs, and now having ownership of the property an investment can be made in The Milestone that was not possible during the tenure of simply leasing the space for live music.
The Milestone has always had that spark, that magic, that "something special" that bring bands back time and time again, that is now bringing in its third generation of patrons who, simply put, love music. Call The Milestone "the little club that could," against all odds in an up and coming area of the city, we need your support now more than ever. If The Milestone has been a part of your life, whether it be playing your first show with your first band to a real audience, seeing your new favorite band before they "made it big," or simply downing a ridiculously cheap PBR in good company where the staff knows your name and your top 5 favorite albums, please consider giving what you are able. We'll love you forever...or at least until the keg runs dry.
Questions?
Contact Jon the current owner at:
25minutestojon@gmail.com
We need your help. The Milestone Club as we know and love it is in desperate need of a serious renovation and repair to the point that we won’t be able to operate as we are for much longer and that sounds awful and terrifying and pretty much like the worst news anyone could possibly have to share... So, for that, I’m sorry...
Head over to Go Fund Me to offer financial support
We also are currently faced with the opportunity for our team along with the help of some local friends to buy and own the property that the Milestone sits on along with the adjoining plots of land including our neighboring business “The Last Pitcher Show.”
The Catch: the investors interested in helping us buy the property are only on board if we can provide the means for the much needed repairs so that the entirety of the property is being used to benefit and feed into our community as it grows and changes over the next several years.
The Gist: Some really great folks are willing to invest in the future of the Milestone so that we can have it for at least 50 more years but only if we’re able to raise the money to fix the things that desperately need fixing... which is a lot... And if we can’t come up with it... we don’t have much of a chance at a future and it could be curtains closing on what we’ve spent the last 46 years falling in love with.
That’s that. It’s not anyone’s fault. It’s not the city screwing us or anything... it’s just time taking a toll on things. We don’t want to ask for anyone’s help. We’ve always just gotten by... but that said... we’ve always gotten by. We’ve never paid our rent late. We’ve never had our utilities cut off. We’ve never not paid a band what they were promised or earned. We’ve done it honest and we just want to keep giving our hearts and efforts back to you guys. Please watch the video in the body of the gofundme page and read the sentiment from Stephanie as well and share this as far and wide as you can... we love you guys. If you have it in you to help... we could certainly use it. I promise we’ll make the best of it and give you back tenfold worth of the best damn rock n’ roll club of all time."
-Jon Hughes
A note from Stephanie Hughes:
(current co-owner)
In a city that is ever changing, neighborhoods that are almost unrecognizable when compared to their former selves, there are very few constants in the evolution of the city of Charlotte, none more evident than in the realm of live music.
In the past year the face of the local music scene in the Queen City has changed dramatically, with the loss of Tremont Music Hall, The Chop Shop, and Tommy's Pub. One could call the west side institution, The Milestone Club, the underdog of the music scene, that one constant that has been a haven for up-and-coming musicians since 1969.
The no-frills, graffiti covered, floor-to-ceiling sticker plastered Enderly Park haunt has hosted most notably Nirvana, R.E.M, Melissa Ethridge, Bad Brains, Against Me!, the Go-Gos, Fugazi, and Black Flag in its almost 50 year tenure, long before their days of international superstardom, as well as countless local, regional, and national touring acts.
With a history as legendary as The Milestone's, the rickety Tuckaseegee Road club has managed to survive the eras of new wave, grunge, hardcore, post-punk, and everything in between, lived to tell the tale, but not without its share of battle scars. Undoubtedly, the structure has seen better days since the original building was constructed over 100 years ago. The Milestone Club is badly in need of repair to continue to be the constant the city of Charlotte needs.
Owned by Bill Flowers since the late '60s, under the operation of Neal Harper, and for the past six years, Jonathan Hughes, the ceiling has been patched, bathrooms renovated several times, and the foundation reinforced until these repairs are no longer effective. In short, The Milestone is to the point of needing a true renovation, and not just a "quick fix."
With the impending sale of the property to Carlos Espin in spring 2016, known as the founder of Area 15, the small business incubator in NoDa, there is an opportunity to restore the building to its former glory. Plans for a new HVAC, new roof, office space in the now unused and unsafe second floor of the club's "bar room" are all necessary improvements for both the functionality and safety of you, our beloved patrons. These are costly and much needed repairs, and now having ownership of the property an investment can be made in The Milestone that was not possible during the tenure of simply leasing the space for live music.
The Milestone has always had that spark, that magic, that "something special" that bring bands back time and time again, that is now bringing in its third generation of patrons who, simply put, love music. Call The Milestone "the little club that could," against all odds in an up and coming area of the city, we need your support now more than ever. If The Milestone has been a part of your life, whether it be playing your first show with your first band to a real audience, seeing your new favorite band before they "made it big," or simply downing a ridiculously cheap PBR in good company where the staff knows your name and your top 5 favorite albums, please consider giving what you are able. We'll love you forever...or at least until the keg runs dry.
Questions?
Contact Jon the current owner at:
25minutestojon@gmail.com
