Word on the street says that Ace Cafe, where we have been regularly joining Orlando Roadsters with our Garage Rescue Miata, is closing its doors. A high-rise is planned for the spot. That means that these monthly meets, a staple of the Orlando scene for more than 20 years, will need a new home.
Tonight, May 22, the group …
I'm in SoCal and unfortunately it's fairly common for Cars and Coffee meets to get booted from their current locations. It's always the same reason, a few bad eggs showing off, causing noise complaints, and presto, the meet is kicked out. While not exactly the same as a business closing, both cause the event to be relocated.
I'm still waiting for Cars and Coffee to come back to Dallas. They lost their last site in 2018.
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) said:I'm still waiting for Cars and Coffee to come back to Dallas. They lost their last site in 2018.
How many Ford Mustangs does the tollway retaining wall need to meet to close down a Dallas Cars and Coffee?
https://www.google.com/search?q=mustang+dallas+cars+coffee&sxsrf=APwXEddD4btYbbnPdl4_PSagxYnyYxANrQ%3A1684789662908&source=hp&ei=ntlrZPbaNP24qtsPqeWi8Aw&oq=mustang+dallas+cars+coffee&gs_lcp=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-okBYJSOAWgQcAB4AIABsQKIAfI9kgEJMC4yMS4xNy4xmAEAoAEBsAEP&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-hp#vuanr=4
It actually got too big and too complicated and the owner of Classic BMW got tired of paying his people to move all the cars from the back lot once a month, only to be overrun with complaints from people whose cars were denied entrance because they weren't special enough.
Then Richard Rawlings offered to move it to Gas Monkey Live. Shortly after that he ended up in a lawsuit with the guy who ran his restaurant, then COVID hit, Gas Monkey Live was shut down and then went away. I got to hear all about it because Mrs. Snowdoggie is the Creative Director for the Ad Agency that Rawlings uses and she actually designed a lot of those Gas Monkey T shirts.
Classic BMW did a very good job for a good long time and ended up getting E36 M3 for it. They even set out water for those of us who brought our dogs to the event. They are good guys. If I ever need to buy a BMW, I will go there.
I didn't say anything about Classic BMW or GMG. There are plenty of videos and memes about Mustangs and Dallas C&C. My favorite video is the one where the Plano PD has lights and sirens going and arrive at the crash about 3 seconds after it happened. Morons killed C&C.
Dallas has "roadshows" now so that's cool, right?
DFW is textbook "how to lose a venue."
Welp, last night didn’t go as planned: sheets of rain as I got on I-4–not in the Miata–and it didn’t let up as I got closer to Orlando. Very low visibility and slow-moving traffic.
I finally stopped to eat and then headed back home. (Only light rain while heading back home.)
(And, yeah, I know I initially parked on the line. I was trying to avoid a truck with trailer that was blocking most of the spaces when I pulled up.)
Hey, Dave, that's the same excuse I use! "Dude, don't get mad at me, there was a car there before that was over his line, so I had to park this way."
I kid.
Whatttt? No way. That's such an iconic spot. Orlando doesn't need another high rise
Ace cafe in Orlando opened in 2017, I was there.
Just seems like 20 years...
DirtyBird222 said:Whatttt? No way. That's such an iconic spot. Orlando doesn't need another high rise
I believe that Ace covers three acres, and that building is rather big. They have bills to pay, and I rarely see attendees in there eating.
I do wish they offered some kind of grab-and-go option for food.
David S. Wallens said:DirtyBird222 said:Whatttt? No way. That's such an iconic spot. Orlando doesn't need another high rise
I believe that Ace covers three acres, and that building is rather big. They have bills to pay, and I rarely see attendees in there eating.
I do wish they offered some kind of grab-and-go option for food.
Yea, a pivot to cater to the crowd you attract would probably help a ton. You could literally sell cup ramen to most car crowds to fluff up your bottom line.
A new high rise usually means older buildings with more character and better design language get demolished in lieu of some mundane looking building. Add to the fact that downtown Orlando is a bit of a E36 M3 show with night life now too. If a business wants to operate past midnight, they have to apply for special permits from the city and implement additional security measures to include having a off-duty LEO present at your establishment, is only adding to the cost of owning and operating a business down there.
In reply to DirtyBird222 :
I hear you about the demolishing of old buildings. Forget the car connection, the Ace building is, I believe, pushing 100 years old.
Back when it was The Edge, it hosted a lot of big names: Ramones, Soundgarden, Anthrax, Testament, etc. That right there should have put it on the preservation list.
And I would have paid for something I could eat while walking. Sell me a burger, a sammich, a gyro, whatever. But only offering slow, sit-down service seemed counterproductive. I’m there to mingle and look at cars, not wait for my check.
And found the article about the building’s history.
It was built in 1922 as a hardware shop by Harry P. Leu, as in the Leu Botanical Gardens. It’s a piece of Orlando history that’s about to get wiped away.
Here’s the list of bands that played in that building. More names: Foo Fighters, Bad Religion, Clutch, Nine Inch Nails, Helmet, Korn, Marilyn Manson, Bad Brains, Sheryl Crow.
Maybe John Varvatos should open a store there. (I kid, I kid.)
The fact that it was Leu's hardware shop in itself should have it on the Orlando Preservation Board's "No Demo" list. Add to the fact that it hosted some amazing artists and is an iconic spot for Orlando's car culture. I wonder if we can make enough of a push and stink to alter course.
DirtyBird222 said:The fact that it was Leu's hardware shop in itself should have it on the Orlando Preservation Board's "No Demo" list. Add to the fact that it hosted some amazing artists and is an iconic spot for Orlando's car culture. I wonder if we can make enough of a push and stink to alter course.
I agree. Okay, forget about the car and music stuff. The name Leu means something in Orlando, right?
From the article in the Bungalower:
According to Ashley Papagni, Public Information Officer for the Office of the Mayor, the building is considered eligible for the National Register of Historic Places but it is not considered to be protected at this time and is labeled as an “Unprotected Historic Resource.” That means if the building is purchased by a developer, they would be within their rights to knock it down.
David S. Wallens said:Here’s the list of bands that played in that building. More names: Foo Fighters, Bad Religion, Clutch, Nine Inch Nails, Helmet, Korn, Marilyn Manson, Bad Brains, Sheryl Crow.
Maybe John Varvatos should open a store there. (I kid, I kid.)
That concert list is rad. Had I been old enough, that would have been a great venue to see some of my favs.
This reminds me of Hermosa Beach, CA, once a prominent pin on the Punk Rock map, now highly gentrified with one lone power box on the street corner decorated with relics from Pennywise, The Descendants, The Circle Jerks and Blackflag as a homage to the past along with a mural....I'd be surprised if you could find a punk rock show there these days.
I take that back, I forgot about this one that was one block over from where I lived. How could you forget that parts of the best movie ever, Point Break, were filmed there.
Bottom line, it stinks when popular venues that cater to a niche culture get taken away, and replaced by some sterile housing development, retail center, or office park.
I reached out to the Orlando City Planning regarding how to make this a historical landmark. This is the response I got.
"Thank you for contacting the city. Unfortunately, the property is not a local landmark. City ordinances require a property owner's consent before a property can be landmarked.
The city has not received any plans for the demolition or redevelopment of this site."
For more about Hermosa Beach’s part in the early punk rock scene, go read Keith Morris’ autobiography. Good stuff and, yes, sad to see ties to the past go away. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.
In reply to DirtyBird222 :
What, no Social Distortion mention? :) They were a long time Redondo Beach resident band as well.....
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