Firefly ... hmpf!
Well, I decided that since I needed to work late in Ann Arbor I'd forego my regular Thursday night salsa gig at Harem and go straight over to the Firefly Club on South Main Street in Ann Arbor.
The Firefly Club is a jazz venue which recently switched locations - six weeks ago. I arrived at about 7:35 p.m. to an empty bar - or I should say, an empty bar area off a main room. The woman greeted me kindly and asked for my $8 cover. The ambiance was decidedly hollow .
I slipped her a ten-spot and got my $2 back, then she said, "And just so you know, we don't have our liquor license."
Oh.
"Oh, and we don't have a waitress either so if you want a pop or water you'll have to come in here to get it."
Oh.
I was slightly disoriented by the lack of music and the idea that they didn't have their liquor license and that they still decided it was cool to ask for an $8 cover on a weeknight. Yes I was looking forward to a nice relaxing glass of wine and a night of salsa dancing after a VERY stressful couple of weeks, and went into the adjacent room where the band was setting up to play. There was a decidedly tiny group of people engaging in a salsa lesson.
The Lesson looked OK - but I stayed glued to my seat waiting for my friend to show up to decide what to do next.
Perhaps I'm picky or impatient or I just learned a long time ago that customer service is important for keeping people coming back, but I went back out to the other room to wait for my friend and decided that the place left a bad taste in my mouth so I asked for my cover back and we left.
I will likely be back, but not until after I talk to someone whose been to salsa night there and has good things to say about them. I had high hopes from past experiences and having a live band is a good thing. Maybe it will get better.
Ouch!
So you didn't stick around to hear the band?
Nope
... I did not. But like I said I'm open to going back - when they have their act together.
Lets get more info!
I've been told in the past that this is a good dancing night even though it's a short one. Can someone who knows this place write something? A picture or two would be great also.
Geo-
Salsa night at the Firefly Club
Someone forwarded this page to me...I am the owner of the Firefly Club and I'd like to apologize for your negative experience at the club in October. Thursday nights are one of our most vibrant evenings and I'm sorry you caught us right after our HORRIBLE move to the new location...yes, the state of Michigan, in its great wisdom, took four months to transfer our liquor license, which effectively reduced our income by 80%, and nearly shut us down. We were operating with a skeleton crew and all feeling pretty low as the weeks dragged on, but I trust that my staff was not rude or unfriendly in any way!
We charge a cover every night at the Firefly, anywhere from $3 to $35 depending on the act. Our cover on Thursdays is $8, which includes the dance lesson and admission. Charging a cover serves to pay the band and the dance teacher, and also, in a way, separates us a little from a bar (and oh, we have music) or a restaurant (and oh, we have music), and makes us a listening room, where people come to focus on what they are hearing, or in the case of Thursdays, focusing on the lesson and having a good time dancing what they have just learned. We're not the kind of place where 22-year olds are screaming at each other on their cell phones, or throwing up lemon drops in the bathroom, you know? Anyway, please come give us another try--I hear from patrons that this is the best place in town to learn the moves from a great teacher, and dance to a fabulous live band. AND we have our liquor license! Thanks, Susan Chastain
Great! I can't wait to give it another try!
Thanks Susan,
I'm happy to come back down there and check it out! I trust your reputation has kept you afloat in spite of the liquor license debacle!
Jess
The Firefly shines on!
Thank you, Jess! Yes, we are ramping back up after our move and this snowy, cold winter. We're ready to light up Main Street this spring--just a note...on April 3 we have no salsa as we have a special event--Ray Charles' saxophone player of many years, David "Fathead" Newman will perform that night, and April 17th we have an African guitarist in concert. See you soon, we hope!
Susan