The Busker, Don Dugan and Tasha Stratton’s neighborhood bar and live music venue that opened in the former South on Main space in August of last year, has closed. Dugan sold the business at 1304 S. Main St. to Don Marshall, who has already begun redecorating the space to open GiGi’s Lounge — an entertainment venue “for grown people” that will feature live music, karaoke, comedy shows, open mic nights, bar food and an eventual Sunday brunch, Marshall said.
Dugan and Stratton purchased South on Main from chef and founder Matt Bell in 2020. Bell opened South on Main in the former Juanita’s space in 2013. Dugan and Stratton closed the venue at the end of 2022 and made the decision to rebrand it as The Busker after an attempt to sell the restaurant in the early months of 2023 fell through. Dugan said he and Marshall began discussing the sale at the end of March.
“He’s very excited about it, and I’m excited for him,” Dugan said. “I think it’s going to be a good scenario for Main Street and the SoMa area for sure.”
Frank McGehee and Mark Abernathy opened Juanita’s on South Main Street in 1986. Reflecting on the sale, Dugan said that the music venue is an institution and he feels lucky to have played a part in keeping it going, even though he purchased it at such a precarious time in the weeks leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Juanita’s had all kinds of incredible music, all kinds of incredible bands, and I just got an opportunity to kind of keep it alive and keep it moving,” he said. “It’s time to make a change and let somebody else take the reins and get going on it.”
Marshall said he’s been thinking about opening a venue for years. He previously owned GiGi’s Soul Cafe and Lounge on Maumelle Boulevard in North Little Rock. It was originally opened by his late mother, his sister and his niece.
“I loved the place,” he said. “It had such a good reputation, everybody enjoyed coming there.”
But the venue wasn’t making a profit, and Marshall said he was never able to find a reliable manager to run the day-to-day operations.
“These kinds of places, you have to have a manager that knows everything about the business, especially with live music,” he said. Marshall said he’s confident he’s found that partner in Jacob Udell, who has 20 years of experience running Club Envy and the former Club Elevations. “He knows everything about this business,” Marshall said. “That’s the whole reason I’m doing this.”
Marshall described GiGi’s as a “grown folks entertainment” venue that will target the 35-plus crowd. If that sounds peculiar, he might be onto something. In a 2023 feature in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette about a string of bar closures in the River Market district, real estate agent and Rock City Eats publisher Greg Henderson said, “You can’t cater to college-aged kids. That isn’t the demographic you should be going after. Little Rock is not a college town like Fayetteville.”
Marshall said GiGi’s will feature a diverse lineup of local musicians, as well as touring acts. He said there will also be a house band, and he’s looking forward to bringing back “GiGi’s Idol,” a popular judged karaoke competition from his former club.
Marshall said the menu will include bar food such as burgers and fries, wings, onion rings and catfish. He anticipates being open Thursday through Saturday evenings (and some afternoons) and is planning on eventually offering a Sunday brunch. He has not announced an opening date, but is hopeful they can open by Memorial Day weekend.