What's going into House of Blues-style venue in Elgin

Justin Hodge knows full well his plans for a House of Blues-style nightclub in downtown Elgin is ambitious.

The 33-year-old entrepreneur has no experience running a bar or restaurant, he said, but has saved up enough money and done enough research to believe both the time and place are right to open Smooth Fox at 51 S. Grove Ave.

"There is nothing of this grand scale out here. The closest thing of this type is House of Blues in Chicago," he said. "This building has a lot of potential, as long as you have the right game plan."

The venue will feature a variety of live music, including R&B, jazz, blues, pop and country, plus karaoke, poetry, comedy and open mic acts.

"I am looking for local talent to showcase on the stage, because this area is filled with it," he said.

The three-story, 18,500-square-foot building will have a bar and restaurant on the first floor, a bar and VIP lounge on the second floor, a dance studio for salsa, merengue, jazz and more on the third floor, and a sports bar in the basement, he said.

He hopes to open by June, pending all necessary permits and liquor license approval by the city, and plans to install video gambling machines in the sports bar area, he said. The building was occupied by Mr. Tequila's Mexican restaurant until May 2015. Before that, it was Mad Maggie's, later renamed The Hangout.

A lifelong Elgin resident, Hodge runs a summer pedal boat business at Festival Park on the Fox River in Elgin. He works for an insurance company and has a home-based marketing and promotions business, he said.

Hodge said he signed the lease in February and has already fixed a leak on the roof and repaired the elevator.

The sports bar, to be called The Fox's Den, will have a relaxed atmosphere, but the main venue will have a dress code - no T-shirts - for music events, he said. He is working with a chef currently employed at Red Lobster on a menu featuring steak, shrimp, crab legs, salmon and lobster tail.

"It will have a more upscale and snazzy atmosphere," Hodge said. "That's what downtown is missing, a dedicated atmosphere like that."

Hodge declined to say how much he's investing in the venture. He's a "bargain shopper" and plans to open the place with no debt by paying in full for equipment, furniture and supplies. The venue likely will employ 30 to 35 people at its busiest times, he said.

The city has received Hodge's business occupancy application and is expecting revised floor plans soon, a community development representative said.

Deirdre White, executive director of the Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin, said Hodge's plan is exciting.

"I do think it can successful. There is nothing like that around here," she said. "As any business, it just needs to have a great business plan and market it correctly. There are a lot of businesses that do quite well in downtown Elgin."

There are also plans to open a jazz club in the former unemployment office at 30 DuPage Court, across the way from Hodge's venue. "Invitation to Class & Elegance" was granted a liquor license by the city's liquor control commission on Wednesday, but there were no details about any projected opening date, city officials said. The jazz club owner did not return a request for comment.

Hodge said he's aware of those plans - and he is not worried.

"I'm trying to get in where an open market exists, and I'm going to bring people out from the different areas into downtown Elgin."

Smooth Fox is also an investment into the future of his four young daughters, Hodge said. "It's always been my dream to open up a nightclub."