Bruce Finkelman of 16 on Center, The Empty Bottle, The Salt Shed, Thalia Hall and so much more!

No Wristbands! We Drink For Free

Bruce Finkelman decided on a late night drive down Western Avenue to open his iconic Chicago music club, The Empty Bottle. So he took the $942 he had in savings and made the plunge. Thirty years later, he's transformed that into the hospitality collective, 16 on Center, which includes a host of music venues and restaurants. Thalia Hall, SPACE, The Salt Shed, Longman & Eagle, Dusek's, Revival Food Hall and much more. We talked with Bruce about his love of music and how this all came about. And, of course, we talked about Chicago.

Time Stamps:

2: Walk us through the idea of opening The Empty Bottle

5:37: How do you start to build momentum at The Empty Bottle?

10: How did you find the next location for The Empty Bottle?

12: When did you feel like The Empty Bottle became a thing?

14:45: Why do you think people revere The Empty Bottle so much?

19:40: When did you decide The Bottle isn't challenging enough for me, I need to add some more things to my plate?

22:16: Have you ever chosen a space that ended up not working?

25: I like that on your website you list other places in the neighborhood of your venue

26:10: How did you originally get connected with Craig?

31:54: How does what Salt Shed looks like now differ from what your initial vision of it was?

34:05: How do you decide when it's time for the next project?

36: Now that you've done a lot of projects, does it get easier working with the city of Chicago?

37: Does the city of Chicago appreciate the independent music club owners?

39: How is Chicago staying as independent as it is when it comes to venues?

42:26: Merch cuts - How do you handle that?

45:45: Thick or thin crust pizza fan?

47:45: Favorite venue to see a show at in Chicago?

48:15: What makes the Chicago music scene unique?

50:19: What is your go to cheap drink?

53: Anything you want to plug on your way on out of here?