The owner of The Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro has weighed in — sort of — on the proposed Art & Innovation Center for ArtsCenter and Kidzu in downtown Carrboro, in a deal that would include a second Hampton Inn hotel at 300 East Main.
Actually, the statement provided to WCHL on Monday is more of a reminder that the Cradle itself needs a bigger venue for concerts, which has been discussed for years.
Frank Heath gave no indication in the statement as to whether he would speak at Tuesday night’s Board of Aldermen meeting.
You can read his full, nearly 1,500-word statement here:
This is a quick statement to address recent inquiries regarding Cat’s Cradle and how we fit into Carrboro’s future from an arts, strategic and business standpoint.
Our intent with this statement is to answer some key questions without contributing more to the ever growing static. The discussion about the new “CAIC” building and its funding is already a multi-layered one that we feel still should be judged mainly on the value and risks that Carrboro’s citizens determine it would bring to the town.
So – I apologize for “butting in” to a degree on someone else’s discussion – it has never been my personal or business style to carry on a public dialog relating on matters that in truth should be worked out between individual parties; but based on the ongoing amount of public interest regarding how Cat’s Cradle “fits in” with this current debate, it seems necessary for us to address some of these questions. So, here goes…
Cat’s Cradle supports the arts scene in Carrboro , and has done so as a daily matter of course during all our 21+ year stay at 300 E. Main Street. This is a special town — in a special region — which has grown to have a special downtown. Carrboro and the Triangle have a rich musical history and an equally rich musical present, along with an impressive wider “arts” presence in general. We are proud to be a part of all of this.
We believe in the ArtsCenter and its mission, and we support the staff and the board in their goals of nurturing the organization. We have no interest in hindering the ArtsCenter’s continued success. Like our longtime neighbor, we understand about growing pains in a small town.
Since Cat’s Cradle moved to Carrboro we have indeed welcomed and fostered synergy of creativity and businesses, and we have done our best to coexist with and support our neighbors. Based on the feedback that we hear, other Carrboro businesses and the public seem to appreciate our presence.
For the past 10-plus years we have made great efforts to keep Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro on a permanent basis, in a new location and space with sufficient and affordable resources for our needs.
We have long discussed – with both Main Street Properties (our current landlords) and with Town of Carrboro representatives — how best to accomplish our objectives, emphasizing that Cat’s Cradle and this community would benefit if the Cradle had a new larger and customized venue.
When the original “300 East Main” plans were approved (2008) we felt assured, based on conversations and public statements from the developers, that this new space would be forthcoming in the near future. At that time, we were aware of no potential detours, contingencies, or roadblocks for Cat’s Cradle to get a new space if the development were approved.
Hence, we applauded and supported the developers in 2008 when they they assured the town — in public forums where the entire 300 E. Main project was being weighed — that a brand new and larger space for Cat’s Cradle was in their plans, and in fact, “integral” to those plans; and that for that reason the larger project needed to be moved along quickly because CC urgently needed a new and bigger venue.
Yet, regardless of any back and forth details, the fact remains a decade later that Cat’s Cradle is still in the same building, without that new home, and with only an offer for extended occupancy in its existing location. This is the same location that had already been recognized, years earlier, to be not large enough, and that was indeed slated to be torn down by now for the development project!
This is the reality facing the Cat’s Cradle and its supporters.
We, at Cat’s Cradle, always understood that our current building was slated to be be torn down by now; in fact, until very recently (when the development plans changed again) no long-term lease option was ever made available to us in this same space.
***
if you are interested in some background on just how integral the relocation of Cat’s Cradle to new improved space was to the decisions made by the Carrboro Board of Aldermen at that time ( 2008), here are some relevant links:http://www.carrborocitizen.com/main/2008/09/18/board-waits-on-300-east-main/
http://www.ashvegas.com/is-it-lights-out-for-the-cats-cradle
http://www01.townofcarrboro.org/BoA/Agendas/2008/09_16_2008_D1.pdf
( “Point 14” is especially significant)***
The live music business constantly evolves, and even an established “institution” like Cat’s Cradle needs to work hard to keep up. We have recognized this and maintained our focus on moving to a new larger space for over a decade; so far, despite the optimism we had based upon of the decisions that were made in 2008, we are still waiting.We are addressing this relevant issue now, as Carrboro works to determine what it will look like and represent in the next few years; and, in light of the fact that these earlier – and town-approved –statements of intention regarding Cat’s Cradle’s space remain unrealized, almost 10 years down the road.
We feel that those statements – which were fielded by the town and its citizens as commitments – are and should remain an important part of this discussion around the arts in Carrboro — given that they were a guiding principles in the board’s reasoning when this developer was granted the go ahead to begin work on the 300 E. Main project.
Regardless of what has happened until now, this moment – today, this week, this year – could very well represent the real launchpoint for Carrboro’s future, especially as it pertains to supporting the creative arts, and maintaining a thriving downtown business district. We would like to think that all of the main stakeholders’ concerns will be fairly represented within the context of the greater questions about the makeup of a healthy Carrboro Arts District.. And while we feel that that the project on the table (CAIC) can and should be judged on its own merits, we also are aware that Cat’s Cradle has long been recognized as a key part of Carrboro’s arts and business communities.
This said, it should remain clear that Cat’s Cradle isn’t a not-for-profit; and we are not seeking or requesting money from the town of Carrboro — the people in this town have supported us for two decades already by coming to our shows.
We do however hope that public recognition of Cat’s Cradle’s track record and significance to the area can help steer parts of the larger conversation back towards the original concepts upon which this entire project was approved and pillared. One of those was – definitely – the creation of a new venue for Cat’s Cradle that would be both a step forward and would not be too heavy of a lift for us to sustain financially.
Some quick info on Cat’s Cradle itself:
While frequent concertgoers likely are aware that Cat’s Cradle has consistently presented 300-plus concerts per year — with rarely any concerns or complaints from the performers or from attendees, both in Carrboro and at many other venues around the Triangle (and actually as far away as Charlotte), the extent of our reach and influence is perhaps not common knowledge to all.
A quick glance at the current Pollstar Magazine’s list of “Top 100 Grossing Worldwide bands” illustrates our significance for Carrboro and the local music community: Fleetwood Mac and Linkin Park are on top of that list — but further review reveals that 21 of these one hundred Top Grossing Worldwide Bands have played at Cat’s Cradle.
It is quite doubtful that 21 of the top 100 worldwide touring artists have performed in any other town smaller than Carrboro.
This is the type of programing that the Cradle – basically, a corner bar in strip mall — has delivered consistently for decades, and we will continue to do the best we can to keep on doing it, in spite of our relatively modest digs.
A new space, however, would increase our ability to attract these type of acts to visit Carrboro and continue coming back.
The full economic and cultural impact of our presence here may have been taken for granted by some; our numbers demonstrate that this impact is significant and should play a role in helping Cat’s Cradle’s cause moving forward.
We are also proud of our role in supporting and working with the larger community through frequent benefit concerts and other types of outreach.
To monetize this impact, it should be pointed out that during the past six months alone, events at Cat’s Crade have raised more than $60,000 for local charitable organizations and also helped to provide additional public awareness and publicity that can be invaluable for small non-profits.
Thanks very much– and thank you for your time and patience with our response to the questions that have been raised.
Cat’s Cradle
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