James Young on joining Sally Capp’s team and rumours of Cherry Bar going into liquidation
James Young is taking a big leap into political life by joining Lord Mayor Sally Capp’s team for her re-election bid. Here’s what’s happening with his rock and roll bar.
Lifestyle
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Melbourne rock bar owner James Young has joined Sally Capp’s team as part of her bid to stay Lord Mayor of Melbourne in the October election.
Young, who owns Cherry Bar as well as Fitzroy’s Yah-Yah’s and Westwood Hotel in Footscray, said entering politics landed in his lap.
“I didn’t plan it, but it is the right time,” Young said.
“The city I love and have lived in my whole life, the city with the most vibrant night-life in the Southern Hemisphere is in crisis and on its knees. It’s time for me to repay the city of Melbourne. I’m not packing my bags and heading to Queensland I’m rolling up my sleeves here in Melbourne with Lord Mayor Sally Capp.”
Young’s role will be to represent small businesses owners, as well as Melbourne’s night time economy.
“I don’t want to get involved in pot holes and parking fines and permits, but I am prepared to roll up my sleeves and get involved in implementing a reactivation plan for Melbourne’s bar, restaurant and club scene.”
Young, who has worked as a lawyer, TV host and advertising executive before becoming a bar owner, has already sussed out the dress code if elected to the council.
“I’ve been a lawyer, I don’t want to go back to wearing a tie and a suit, so I asked the Lord Mayor ‘Are you comfortable with me coming in with a denim jacket and the cowboy hat? I don’t want to change into someone else’. Sally, who is a legend, said I want to be more like you, of course you can wear your cowboy hat.”
Capp DJ’d at Cherry Bar between lockdowns in Melbourne, when the bar could open for 20 people.
“I do have the utmost respect for her, I’ve had a good working relationship with her as a small-business owner. At the start of the pandemic she rang me personally and said ‘How are you coping as a small-business owner?’
“I had a crazy idea to ask the Lord Mayor to come along and DJ to promote the fact Cherry was open again. I didn’t have the confidence to ring her and ask, I sent her a late night text and said she might want to think about it for a night and get back to me. She texted me back within 15 seconds, and said count me in, I’ll see you tomorrow. I thought that’s a great attitude from a Lord Mayor, she really wants to help business in their time of need. And she didn’t do a bad job as a DJ either.”
Fellow club owner Nick Russian took over the lease of Cherry Bar when it exited AC/DC Lane, with Russian planning to open a venue called Bambi.
Russian is now also running for Lord Mayor in the October election.
“That’s an interesting coincidence,” Young said. “Nick Russian and I have a friendly working relationship. He’ll be pleased that if he doesn’t make it in his election bid there’ll be someone else on the table to represent the clubs, bars and restaurants.”
Meanwhile Young has clarified rumours Cherry Bar had gone into liquidation or closing.
A company called Cherry Bar ACDC Lane Pty Ltd was listed on the ASIC website as going into liquidation on September 17.
Young clarified that was the old company from the old address of Cherry - the bar relocated to 68 Little Collins Street last December.
“Cherry Bar is not at AC/DC Lane anymore, so the old company Cherry Bar ACDC Lane has been replaced by a new company with a slightly different ownership structure and even more ownership resting with me,” Young said. “Cherry Bar is ongoing as you can see from our Facebook page.
“Cherry Bar will never die. We’ve just wound up the former parent company from the old address to make way for a fresh start with a new parent company, still trading as Cherry Bar.”
Young’s former partner, Peter Lewis (husband of Kate Langbroek) has now left Cherry’s ownership group.
“That’s the significant change, Pete’s not involved, he’s living in Italy now, he said he’d leave it with me.
“I’ve got three bars but Cherry Bar is the spinal fluid for me as far as representing who I am. I’m happy to have the lion’s share (of ownership).”
The Little Collins Street venue was trading until being forced to shut due to COVID restrictions.
It will reopen when Government advice allows, but has branched out into wine deliveries and was doing live streamed shows and reduced capacity before the second lockdown.
Cherry is also set to be in the second list of venues receiving financial assistance from the Victorian Government, after a clerical error with their forms saw the bar miss out on the first error.
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