A man walks past a recently-painted mural on the side of the J. J.'s Bohemia building on M.L. King Boulevard. The Beer Board has closed the establishment for two weeks.JJ's Bohemia, an M. L. King Boulevard music haunt and drink stop, is closed for two weeks after penalties were handed down Thursday by the Chattanooga Beer and Wrecker Board.
JJ's Bohemia was cited for failing to have a working land-line telephone. According to city code, the site is required to maintain "a telephone in good working order that provides direct access to the city's emergency communication telephone line, 911, and provides the street address for the permit holder's location."
On Thursday, the phone number listed on the bar's website, 423-266-1400, was not working.
The code specifically states that cellphones or other wireless media will not suffice.
JJ's Bohemia was also cited because the bar's back door was locked, creating a potential fire hazard.
The citations were issued on Aug. 16.
On Facebook, JJ's Bohemia owner John Shoemaker said there was an employee positioned at the back door in case of emergency, and he said the telephone issues had been resolved.
Shoemaker apologized on Facebook to the acts scheduled to perform over the next two weeks. Twelve acts were to appear in that time, according to a schedule on the JJ's Bohemia website.
JJ's Bohemia is set to re-open for normal business on Oct. 2.
Contact staff writer Alex Green at agreen@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6480.