Owner Bids to Keep T.T.s Open
By Broadside Correspondent Pearson Jones
On Feb. 12, at Fairfax City Hall, owner and operator of T.T. Reynolds Jeremy Gifford, along with a full force of die hard T.T.’s supporters, voiced their disapproval of the Fairfax City Council’s agreement to auction off the city owned property the venue currently resides on to the highest bidder.
Gifford intends to be one of those bidders in a final attempt to save local music community center T.T. Reynolds from becoming just another commercial business.
The outcome of supporters at the council hearing was more than anything Gifford could have hoped for, or expecting.
The council hearing was a chance for residents of Fairfax to speak up and let the city know what they thought of the decision to close up T.T.’s for good.
As many would expect, residents of Fairfax were not exactly thrilled about the idea.
When T.T. Reynolds hearing was finally brought up for discussion at 10:30 p.m. last Tuesday night, the room was over run by T.T’s. fanatics, all sporting shirts and buttons that advertised the slogan “Save T.T.’s.”
One patron stated in her plead to the council that “This is more than just a music venue or restaurant, it’s a place where our dreams are chased.”
T.T. Reynolds has been serving up more than just hot food and cold beers to local Fairfax patrons for more than 30 years; it has also been the focal point in the local music scene, providing a spot for up-and-coming bands to play gigs and release their new music to the masses.
All of this may become a thing of the past however on March 15 when the lease ends if Gifford is unable to out bid the other potential buyers.
Landlord Ebrahim Babazadeh reportedly informed Gifford on Aug. 1, 2007 that the building would be put on the market for $800,000, a considerable amount as the land was held in trust in 2001 for $680,000.
“Many local businesses are unable to compete with the corporate bank accounts that fund the big-box retail and restaurants that have overtaken the area in recent years, and the community is quite literally in an uproar,” Gifford stated in his news release.
Gifford is not alone in his crusade to fight off commercial businesses from taking over the beloved local music venue.
Donations have been pouring in through Gifford’s MySpace page from college students, other local businesses that have benefited from T.T. Reynolds and a number of musicians that got their start performing on T.T.’s stage. Gifford said that the total was adding up to thousands of dollars.
It may not sound like a lot but Gifford assures us, “It sounds cliche, but really, every dollar counts.”
There are a number of other fundraisers that are coming into full swing as well. T-shirts that have simply printed across them in bright bold red letters “Save T.T.’s” are for sale for $20.
Any money made of this campaign will be put towards doing just that.
There are also a number of benefit concerts that have taken place within the past year in order to raise money and awareness of what could become of the venue on Main Street.
The City of Fairfax was considering all bidders until the deadline came Feb. 15.
As seen through the love and dedication from the residents of Fairfax towards T.T.’s, they are all hoping this isn’t the last call for T.T. Reynolds.
As Gifford said, “T.T. Reynolds isn’t a business, it’s a family. But this family may be losing its home.”
It’s obvious that Gifford and patrons will not be going down without a fight.