Mercury Lounge in Athens, Ga., is One Couple’s Dream And One City’s New Favorite Bar

In life, the words “respect for one’s elders” and “learning from your elders” echo true in the business world just as aptly as they do when coupled with the moral teachings of society. In this industry, there are giants among us who can recount tales of meager beginnings and exciting acquisitions, of failed ventures and bounced checks.   
    David Sarner, the New York club mogul who has brought the masses Pink Elephant, Crobar, Spy Bar and Rehab, was once the teenager who checked I.D.s at Studio 54 when Steve Rubell and Ian Shrager were the elders of the tribe.
    Everyone begins somewhere in this industry, whether ownership is passed through family inheritance or sought down a long road that begins at the dishwashing station. When looking for leadership, innovation and remarkable marketing, sometimes it is wise to look down the ladder in addition to gazing up. In this industry, more experience doesn’t always equal better service, fresher ideas or brighter innovation.
    Case in point: Mercury Lounge in Athens, Ga., where a couple’s first bar turns out to have some wisdom all its own in the form of fresh-faced youth.

Making It Their Own
    Michelle Allen and her boyfriend Chip Herr spent many nights discussing their dream bar while working in several others, until the Athens pair found the perfect spot –– aging faux-wood paneling be damned.
    “Chip originally wanted to open a large music venue,” Co-owner Michelle Allen says. “He just kind of began haggling with different people and finally decided on this space. It was so hideous. It was previously a telecommunications office, and there was faux-wood paneling everywhere. It took six to eight months of complete overhaul. We both had been behind the bar and managed, but
this was our first opportunity to actually own something. We paid a lot of attention to detail.”
    Just past the first birthday, that focus and youthful excitement can be seen everywhere, from Mercury Lounge’s wrought iron M logo above the entrance to the front door which is artisan-crafted steel encased in rosewood. There is also
a plaster wall the two put in themselves just before the front door, which contains bits of tempered glass to reflect colors in the sunlight.
    “We tried to find a mix of industrial and metropolitan,” Allen says. “It is well lit inside but not overwhelming. All the lights are amber hued, and our spotlights all have filters.”
    A 30-foot galvanized steel and wood bar has a 42-inch plasma screen at one end and, more often than not, a Jazz band at the other. The walls are brilliant blue with a slate and sand faux finish to temper the intensity, and guests can enjoy cocktails and tunes inside and out at high-top tables and booths.

Something For Everyone
    One of the décor aspects that is in a constant state of flux is the artwork on the walls. Allen and Herr use their wall space to showcase local artists, and most importantly, to give something back to the community.
    Every other month, the paintings are rotated out for new local showcases, with an opening and closing event for each.
    The couple doesn’t charge a commission on any piece that sells out of Mercury Lounge, but they do take 20 percent of the sale and donate it to Nuci Space (www.nuci.org), a community foundation dedicated to helping people who suffer from depression and similar disorders.
    “It is our chosen charity,” says Allen. “We have wine, beer and sake tastings during the month, and for those, we also donate 20 percent.”
    The age demographic on any given night in Mercury Lounge may range from 21 to 75, depending on the promotion being held. There is a game corner with Simon, Yatzee, chess and Jenga available, and for those really yearning for a complete mind trip back to the ‘80s, Herr and Allen went shopping for old-school video games.
    “We have an Atari and a Nintendo 64 that we hook up to the big screen on Mondays,” she says. “We just got the original Atari. We had a friend that redoes old video games, and we paid him $100 bucks for the redo and the upkeep. The only time we don’t have it hooked up is when a Jazz band is playing. Those nights, we usually turn on old AMC black and white movies.”
    While the bar is earning a reputation among those younger patrons desperate for an Atari rematch 20 years in the making, it is the free live Jazz that the concept is built upon promotionally.
    “Every single Friday and Saturday, we have Jazz,” Allen says. “Chip does the music and booking, and I do the wine and drinks. Most of our Jazz performers have at one time been in the UGA School. The majority of them have said that we are the new home of Athens Jazz.”

Healthy Obsession
    Alongside the funky Jazz beats spilling into the street, the shouts of high-score Nintendo rivals and lively conversation during the wine tastings, Owners Allen and Herr remain tapped into their roots in the service industry constantly, providing the small extras that get guests excited. At Happy Hour, Allen puts out bowls of olives and Hershey Kisses instead of peanuts to accompany the 25 wines by the glass on the menu.
    “Women just go crazy over drinking good Champagne with a straw, so we have half bottles of Veuve Clicquot,” she says. “We give an artisan truffle with each purchase of Champagne. In the next two weeks, we are getting a cooler, and we are going to be doing artisan cheeses, as well.”
    Later at night, the mp3 player often sends out Prince or Aretha Franklin as the service-industry crowd stops in after work elsewhere. Herr and Allen meet them with good prices and coupled drink specials such as a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and a shot of Jameson or one of 18 high-gravity brews on tap and in the bottle –– knowing that it is crucial that they have something for everyone.
    “Chip and I are pretty O.C.D.,” Allen says. “We can’t ever stop thinking about what the next thing is going to be. How are we going to get more people
in here? How are we going to avoid being stagnant?”
    While she calls it obsessive compulsive, the truth is, it is simply good business. Mercury Lounge is positive proof that the younger generation has a one hand on the tap and one foot in the door when it comes to over-all success.