Blair Garner To Open New Entertainment Venue The Mulehouse

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The Mulehouse. Photo: courtesy The Mulehouse

Broadcaster Blair Garner is opening a 55,500-square-foot music venue in Columbia, Tennessee next year called The Mulehouse. The space was formerly a Baptist church and is next door to the President James K. Polk presidential home, museum, and library and was once part of Polk’s property.

The venue is part of the historic preservation district with a steady flow of tourists coming to the area, and has a seating capacity of 500, with the general admission number still to be determined. During COVID, Garner and his team were able to pivot the design process to enable The Mulehouse to become the first music and event venue in America designed specifically for live event streaming. The stage is large enough to accommodate a 14-piece band, along with a large side stage, and there will be a radio studio inside as well.

“There are different versions of concert series slated. This is for ease of ticketing. There’s the Headliner Series, The Fan’s Choice Series, The Icon Series, and The Ground Floor series. Each has its distinct slant, serving a different purpose. What is different about our fare, is that on-stage interviews will be a core component. Viewers/guests will know every song that’s performed, but by the end of the night they’ll truly feel that they ‘know’ that performer. That’s the interview component, which is where I come in,” Garner said in a statement.

The back of the venue is designed for easy crew load-in. Artists will be treated to locally sourced and prepared meals, full spa treatments with massage, etc.

Former iHeart market manager for Memphis Michael Oppenheimer has been named GM for the new venture. Clair Solutions are designing the theater’s entire sound and video system, and Phase Two and Three will incorporate a 6,000-square-foot bar and full restaurant and 26-room boutique hotel. Construction is slated to be completed by March of 2021 with events scheduled for Spring 2021.

Lorie Hollabaugh
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