Three Miles Gutter Club
Imagine the year is 1920. In downtown Richmond, West Broad Street is hopping. An eclectic mix of Richmond politicians, shop owners and neighbors hangs out in front of Tarrant's Pharmacy , tossing pieces of news between them. They call themselves "The Gutter Club." Fast forward to 2002. Same plot of real estate, and a contemporary take on "The Gutter Club."
It's called Three Miles . And yep, it's still held at the historic Tarrant's Pharmacy, at West Broad and Foushee. This time around, you don't need to apply for membership in "The Gutter Club." You just need to hear about it to join in.
"We've had a couple illegitimate open houses since we opened in May," Chris Humes , Three Miles founder, says. "By word of mouth alone, we're seeing 50, 60, sometimes 150 people show up."
An underground Three Miles show features anything from experimental jazz bands and bizarre film clips to ironworkers and oil painters unveiling their work for the first time. With each impromptu show, the buzz travels fast through the funkier parts of town.
"The idea is to show something you can't see anywhere else," Humes admits. "Feature an individual artist every month or so. Bring in an eclectic musician, not just your average rock show. Maybe screen a film every once in a while."
It's a big-city mentality that's starting to catch on at Richmond shops and galleries such as Chop Suey Books with their widely popular von Gribley Reading Series where local authors and bands pair up for an evening of original, home-grown entertainment.
Which makes sense, considering that Humes is a San Francisco transplant who recently moved to Richmond to be closer to his family (his brother, Pete, is the editor of the edgy weekly, Punchline ). Technically trained in architecture at the University of California, Berkeley , Humes currently freelances for a few Richmond architects while seeking non-profit status for Three Miles.
"This is just my really expensive hobby," Humes says, half-joking, half-dead-serious.
It doesn't hurt that the Three Miles space is incredibly charming. Humes preserved the original soda fountain fixtures from the Tarrant's Pharmacy, including a long marble bar that legend says came from The Jefferson Hotel's men's room.
"You couldn't do this in San Francisco," Humes admits. "Here, there's all these spaces with great history and cheap rent. When you get down to it, I have no idea why I started Three Miles. I guess because I really like to throw parties."
Want to see what all the buzz is about?
Tonight, Sept. 5, Three Miles hosts a tribute party for the eclectic composer John Cage with jazz performances from Mao Amore , Ting Ting Jahe and Lovesick Mushrooms .
"It's like a 'Happy Birthday, John Cage' party, geek musician style," Humes says.
On Friday, Sept. 6, "Breathe Deep" tells the story of Sept. 11 in a 48-foot custom installation by Kenneth Moore.
"This is going to be really intense. When he started working on this, the artist quit his job, disconnected his phone," Humes says.
Starting Sept. 11, Humes hopes to make the leap from "illegitimate open houses" to regular hours every Wednesday through Sunday. He even plans on instituting an "urban tea house" on weeknights at Three Miles.
"I'm thinking of a place where people can stop by after work. Drink some good camomile tea," Humes says. "They can chat, look at art. You know, like a modern-day Gutter Club."
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