If you are in search for a cool place to hang out on a Wednesday night, have you ever considered The Warehouse? This down-to-Earth nook in the middle of Gaines St. is a cornucopia for hidden talent. It’s open to the public with no cover charge, and with a bar and pool tables, The Warehouse is an antique-looking bar with a lot of passion.
Just as Potbelly’s has Purgatory Thursdays, Baja’s hosts the Westside Block Party, and Tijuana Flats has Taco Tuesdaze to gather crowds during the week, The Warehouse has open mic at 9:00 p.m. every Wednesday night.
People can sign up starting at around 7:55 p.m. in order to perform. Patrons can order from the bar and watch friends and strangers perform on stage. People can perform anything they choose, but most popularly performed are original songs and covers, raps, free styles, and instrumentals.
The limited lighting and candles on every table creates a calming, ambient scene that not only relaxes all guests, but also gives a soothing feel to the performers to calm their nerves.
Some days the place is ridiculously packed and there is hardly any standing room, and other days it is very spacious. Parking is a slight problem on busy nights. However, there are always a number of performers who are there every week to rock the house. The night usually runs from 9p.m. til past midnight!
If you think you can’t handle that much talent being thrown in your face, the Warehouse is divided into two rooms: the stage room and the pool room. There are about six pool tables that can be rented for play. In addition, the drinks are very moderately priced, making drinking a breeze that won’t put a dent in your wallet.
This past open mic, there were 16 performers that hit the stage. The most memorable of the performances were a complete freestyle verse that lasted almost ten straight minutes, an amazing guitarist, the token saxophone player, and a guy who sang about open mic night by only using the words “open mic,” “Wednesday night,” “9 o’clock,” and “it’s a good time.”
The same man has hosted the open mic night for over 15 years, and he also loves to perform his original songs on his acoustic guitar (picture above, the man on the right). Last open mic, he shredded the strings so hard, one popped during his set! Luckily, there were so many guitarists on hand
This place creates a little homey community where strangers can bond over talent and booze. Everyone is incredibly friendly and inviting. A variety of people show up, ranging in age from 18 to well past 70! No one is ever turned away from this place (unless you are extremely drunk and disrupting the audience or performer), and it is known as one of Tallahassee’s hidden gems. So if you are ever looking for a really cozy place to hang that’s easy on your wallet, The Warehouse is the place to be.