Retail strip that includes Smith’s Olde Bar up for sale, venue given 60-day notice to vacate

July has been a hard month for Atlanta’s music venues. Smith’s Olde Bar, which has hosted countless bands and fans near the corner of Monroe Drive and Piedmont Avenue since 1993, could soon have to vacate the space as part of a proposed sale of the retail strip it calls home.
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?On Aug. 28, the more than 27,000 square-foot property and commercial strip dubbed the “Morningside Strip Center” will be sold at auction. A trust owns the circa 1925 building that includes Smith’s, an antique shop, and a now vacant hair salon after its longtime owner died, according to Tim Holdroyd of City Realty, which is managing the sale.
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?According to CR’s “property package” about the strip, Smith’s is currently a “tenant at will” and has been given a 60-day notice to vacate the premises. Smith’s is disputing that notice to vacate its longtime home, CR’s document says, and “ownership is working to resolve this ongoing issue.” A venue spokesman said Smith’s Olde Bar management declined to comment on the matter.
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? According to Greg Land at the Fulton Daily Report (free reg. req’d.) two filings in Fulton County Superior Court indicate the trust “have demanded that club’s owner, Nolan-Reeves Music, vacate the premises after demanding more rent and increased insurance coverage for the space.” Nolen-Reeves have asked to stay put until at least the end of the year, the report says.  
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?The antique shop’s space will be vacant when its lease ends after Sept. 30, 2015. The summary notes that the property’s prime location near heavily trafficked areas such as Piedmont Park, Morningside, and Ansley Mall. It is also only a few hundred yards from a portion of the Atlanta Beltline.
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?The document, which was first noticed by Tomorrow’s News Today, says nine retail spaces — five of which are leased to Smith’s — are up for sale. Fans of Cowtippers, the steak and spirit joint that is located on the strip’s northern edge, or the El-Gant alterations shop to the south, need not worry — they’re not part of the auction. The giant billboard looming over the center is also not included in the deal.
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?It’s up to the new owners to decide if they want to continue leasing to Smith’s or do something else with the space and the property, Holdroyd says. He says a number of parties are interested in the Morningside property. Holdroyd expects to close the sale by the end of the year.
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?The news comes on the heels of a developer’s plan to repurpose the longtime home of the Masquerade and build a 228-unit mixed-use development on the Music Park and two adjacent parcels. Management of the nearly 25-year-old Old Fourth Ward music venue says they will continue booking events until 2016 and won’t leave the city.