BY
KEITH LACEY
It's taken six months of hard work to get ready, but Dave
Morris and his business partners are expecting a full house
when downtown Sudbury's newest bar opens.
Morris, 32, is the majority owner of SRO (Standing Room Only),
which officially opens for business tonight at 93 Durham St.,
in the same location where Habanas was located for several
years.
Morris and partners MacGill Monteleone, who will manage the
establishment, and Jeff Mancini, have created a beautiful new
bar they hope will appeal to a wide variety of patrons.
"We wanted to create an upscale place, but something not
over the top," said Morris, a local dentist. "We want a place
where people will feel comfortable coming in after work to have
a martini or nice drink, but also a place where you can dance
and let your hair down during the evening.
"We've also created a nice atmosphere where we can host a
wide variety of banquets or social functions. It's basically a
bar where people can come and relax in a really nice
atmosphere."
Morris said he was instantly interested when he discovered
Dalron Construction, which owns the building, was not renewing
the lease for Habanas.
Morris placed some phone calls, made an offer and he and his
partners have spent significant dollars to create the bar they
believe will become a staple of Sudbury's downtown nightlife.
"I wanted to make a difference in the continuing
rejuvenation of the downtown core," he said. "We've put
together a really nice place here which should appeal to a lot
of people."
Three years ago, Morris said many of his friends "thought I was
crazy" when he and a partner started a portable trailer
business, but that's taken off and he's hoping for the same
kind of success with SRO.
"I get particularly motivated when people tell me I'm going
to fail," he said. "I think I have a pretty good business sense
and opening a real nice bar like this has been something of a
dream of mine for a few years."
The liquor license for SRO will accommodate 150 patrons and
an additional 40 seats will be available during the warm
weather months on an outdoor patio.
A highlight is a 185-inch, high-definition projection
television, which will show a lot of sports events, he said.
Local bands will also be booked to play on weekends.
Good friend Connie Sykes did a fabulous job decorating and
designing the bar and Al Herbert helped install a world-class
sound system, said Morris.
They invite patrons "looking for something a little classy" to visit their new establishment.
