 This entry refers to a departed business that has closed or left town. All information here is for historical reference only. |
The Velvet Elvis is a departed business. It was located in what is now the bar room of Woodstock's Pizza. It was owned in part by Seth Sternin, one of the current owners of Ground Zero.
The Velvet Elvis had a difficult time getting their liquor license as the City Council did not want another bar. However, they were given the license. Unfortunately, Velvet Elvis has left the building.
Note: The City Council was not really all that concerned about adding another liquor license in the city. Pasta?, Seasons, Sophia's, Bistro 33, Little Prague, etc. all obtained their liquor licenses after Velvet Elvis without issues. What the police (and thus the city) were concerned about was the uncooperative attitudes of the owners towards the community. Just about every other bar in town hated them. I saw Seth Sternin, part owner, talk shit about other bars while he tried to pass out flyers for the Velvet Elvis at several bars in town. Completely unprofessional and lame. Good riddance. (Feel free to integrate.)
This is incredibly false. My name is Brendan Mohr and I am 50% owner of Ground Zero and was not an owner of Velvet Elvis. My partner Seth Sternin was an owner, as well as other people. Why did Velvet Elvis close? It had restricted hours that prevented them to serve alcohol after 11pm making it a tough investment. Soon after opening, one of Ground Zero's competitors moved from it's prominent location in Sacramento (SBI) and we at Ground Zero were offered the lease. The only way it could happen is if Sternin freed up his capital to invest in the new location and left Velvet Elvis and his partners sold off to a buyer, who never re-opened. You would have to ask the property owners more details. The Ground Zero location opened in mid-year and still exists today on Arden Way.
Also, it wasn't so much the city council that had a problem, it was the police dept. The ABC even approved the license, but at that exact time the city of Davis was dealing with a media frenzy over a guy who died after being served 21 shots at a Davis bar. In private meetings with the chief of police and others it was said that Velvet Elvis had to wait a year before the restrictions were lifted because of the tremendous pressure this case had caused.
That would have been the Paragon, which had been a MAJOR problem for the police. Velvet Elvis opened entirely too shortly after the Paragon's closing for the city and police to be comfortable. To be fair, I did like the sandwiches at the VE.
