The Helmsmen perform during the second anniversary bash last month. (Photo by Jaime Kujala)
As anniversaries go, the one-year milestone reached by the Brewhouse Gallery in Lake Park in May of 2015 proved to be just an appetizer for the two-year bash held last month.
And that’s despite the fact that the art gallery, live music emporium, and craft beer, wine and coffeehouse had just started its expanding food menu after taking over a former convenience store directly to its west side in 2015.
And despite that very room having just become home to the main bar, walk-in cooler, and most of the venue’s table seating; the stage featuring banner performances by the Whiskey Wasps, Fireside Prophets, Speaking Volumes, and seven other performers, and the one-year celebration burgeoning to the point of spilling into the alley out back.
On May 14, the Brewhouse’s two-year anniversary, with live sets by the likes of Deal James, Summer Gill, and Garrett Fog, was essentially the centerpiece to a comparative three-ring circus that ran from noon to midnight and featured 20 different acts on two different stages.
Several months ago, the defunct Mos’Art Theatre (formerly the Kelsey Club), directly next door to the east, had been taken over by Brewhouse owner and gallery curator A.J. Brockman and his mother and business partner, Jo Brockman. The rechristened Kelsey Theater was celebrating its grand opening simultaneously, displaying a larger live music alternative to its intimate neighboring gallery.
A.J. Brockman, with some of his artworks. (Photo by Jaime Kujala)
Fog’s solo evening appearance at the Brewhouse had been preceded by an afternoon set by his pop band, The Inverted, at the Kelsey. As darkness fell, The Helmsmen ended a raucous run of originals with a cover of the Surfaris’ “Wipe Out,” leading to sets on the large stage by the melodic Sweet Bronco, the rootsy Gravel Kings, and theatrical closers Raggy Monster.
Yet for anyone who hadn’t already heard, the Kelsey takeover had proven to be just the beginning of the Brockmans’ master plan.
“The Brewhouse owners bought this entire plaza,” said Wayne Felber, emcee of the venue’s Thursday open mic night, two nights before the anniversary party. “So please come out on Saturday for our celebration. They have a lot of bills to pay.”
With several additional storefronts accessible from both front doors and the back alleyway during the event, the date proved a loud and clear announcement of Lake Park’s growing arts district. On the west end, the brand-new Kelsey Vintage Goods store was also bustling with patrons eager to see the unique collection of books, signs, toys, games, artwork and beyond offered by owners Jesse Furman and Michael Silberman. In-between, the Ivy & Oak Tattoo Artist Studio and the Palm Beach School of Dance also celebrated grand openings.
Emcee Wayne Felber speaks from the Brewhouse Gallery stage. (Photo by Jaime Kujala)
“I’m ecstatic,” Furman said amid the throng around 7 p.m. “I got here at 10 a.m., and I’ll probably be here well past midnight, but we’ve been killing it all day. I could close now and still be happy with our bottom line.”
In the alley behind the vintage goods store, the Lagunitas Brewing Company (one of the countless craft beer lines served at the Brewhouse) offered freebies. As folks strolled east out back, there was food provided by Diner Dogs, arts & crafts, and a vintage bicycle show on the way to the Kelsey at the opposite end.
As its name suggests, visual art has been central to the Brewhouse Gallery since its inception. Pieces by area artists adorn its walls in three-month installments, with the lure of craft beers and quality live music creating extra exposure and foot traffic for the works by those locals.
Some of the art available at the anniversary party. (Photo by Jaime Kujala)
A.J. Brockman is one of those artists, despite the fact that he has to work immeasurably harder as a creator. Only 27 years old, he’s spent 25 of those years confined to a wheelchair as the result of spinal muscular atrophy, a progressive neuromuscular disease.
Through creativity and perseverance, plus the tireless efforts of Jo over the years, the 2009 graduate of Digital Media Arts College in Boca Raton has ascended to the position of the unofficial artistic sheriff of Lake Park.
Friends and well-wishers surrounded Jo throughout the May 14 celebration, and as usual, A.J. drew a well-deserved congratulatory crowd. Whatever becomes of Lake Park between now and next year’s anniversary celebration will be largely fueled by the artistic renaissance taking place between Seventh and Eighth streets along Park Avenue.
“Even being here a year ago, I couldn’t have envisioned this,” Brockman said. “It’s become a very pleasant surprise.”
Crowds visit Kelsey Vintage Goods during the anniversary party. (Photo by Jaime Kujala)
If you go
The Brewhouse Gallery (www.brewhousegallery.com) features Trivia Night at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays, Open Mic Night at 8 p.m. on Thursdays, Live Bait at 8 p.m. on June 10, Acoustic Soul at 8 p.m. on June 11, Damien Louviere at 8 p.m. on June 17, Bryce Allyn at 8 p.m. on June 18, A Sunday Kind of Blues at 2 p.m. and Nip & Tuck at 7 p.m. on June 19, Trial By Fire at 8 p.m. on June 24, Mainstreet Dreamers at 8 p.m. on June 25, and Echoes of Erin at 7 p.m. on June 26 at 720 Park Ave., Lake Park (561-469-8930).
At the Kelsey Theater (www.thekelseytheater.com), there’s an ʼ80s Adult Prom at 8 p.m. on June 11, Noah Rabe’s “My Heart Tour” stop at 8 p.m. June 17, the CD release party by The Helmsmen at 8 p.m. June 18, Unlimited Devotion’s Grateful Dead Tribute at 8 p.m. June 24, and the CD release party by J.L. Fulks at 8 p.m. June 25, all at 700 Park Ave., Lake Park (561-328-7481).