Thanks to a bevy of bars and music venues that have opened there, the nightlife variety on the east end of M.L. King Boulevard has increased dramatically in the last two years.
But in 2006, long before the doors opened at Champy’s Famous Fried Chicken or The Camp House – almost a decade before the arrival of Hutton & Smith Brewing Co. or The Bitter Alibi – a pair of Scenic City ex-pats returned to Chattanooga and took a chance in an otherwise quiet part of town.
“Past us, there was hardly anything,” says John Shoemaker, who co-founded the music venue JJ’s Bohemia in the 200 block of E. M.L. King Boulevard with his now ex-wife, Jeni Brown.
“I was willing to take the risk on this part of town,” he continues. “It wasn’t the safest place to go out at night. If anything, it maybe provided a bit of a gateway for other businesses to open up down the street.”
This weekend, the venue is celebrating its ninth anniversary with back-to-back, triple-bill shows featuring artists handpicked by venue management.
When they opened the doors at JJ’s, Shoemaker and Brown weren’t starting entirely from scratch. After their shifts working as servers at the nearby Read House, Shoemaker and Brown used to visit the same building when it was still known as The Chameleon. The narrow brick room also has served as home to bars such as Jacob’s Ladder and – just before the arrival of JJ’s – The Local.
People already associated the location with music and nightlife, Shoemaker says, and that definitely helped turn the corner and provide some reassurance of the venue’s long-term survivability.
“That was a big plus for us,” he says. “After a year we were getting good crowds, and it seemed really solid and really filled a niche in Chattanooga. It was just this small music venue, something that caters to everything, a place most aspiring bands can get a show in and a place that ends up being a stop for the hundreds and thousands of bands that travel through Chattanooga.”
In the last decade, the tiny room has hosted the full gamut of acts, from local artists and comedians to nationally known acts such as The Slits, Kurt Vile and Deerhunter, which opened its 2013 spring tour with a show at JJ’s.
Some of Shoemaker’s fondest memories of running the club are tied to artists such as Diarrhea Planet, Shovels & Rope, Moon Taxi, Justin Townes Earle and Alabama Shakes, all of whom played his stage as relative unknowns before graduating to larger rooms and greater acclaim.
“That’s always really cool, to see bands start playing to 20 people and 50 people, and then something happens and they’re enormous,” he says. “I get most proud of the bands that play multiple times here and then earn their way to the top.”
Looking ahead, Shoemaker says he has no plans to change the formula that has kept the venue running for the last nine years. After all, he laughs, that’s the longest he’s ever worked in the same place.
“Being able to do this for this long – I guess I’m proud of that,” he says. “I still love it. It’s amazing.”
Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6205.
If you go
‘ What: JJ’s Bohemia ninth anniversary party featuring The Dead Deads, SoCro and Stoop Kids (Friday) and Pujol, Behold the Brave and Canopy (Saturday)
‘ When: 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, and Saturday, Oct. 24
‘ Where: JJ’s Bohemia, 233 E. M.L. King Blvd.
‘ Admission: $10 each night
‘ Phone: 423-266-1400
‘ Website: www.jjsbohemia.com