The new location at 248 Bank St. looked promising. One could accommodate 60 to 70 people with tables and chairs, well over 100 people with no tables, which we did when we had plays. Of course, I kept the red and white checked tablecloths, the large fat straw covered Chianti bottles and candles even though they would drip on the tablecloths and make a mess, but everybody loved them, including me. I required a stage quickly as I had already booked Tom Kines for the opening week.
Luckily a long time friend and Le Hibou member Jean Guy Boutin came to the rescue and put a stage together, which of course we painted black. It had a long life as we moved it to 521 Sussex later. Lights were pretty rudimentary—two 150 watt flood lights on a clamp with an on and off switch. We used stitched together black felt and nailed it to a 1 x 2 wood frame which provided a back curtain. There was a small glass brick wall in the main room, which I kept for a while but had to remove later so people could see the stage more easily. The floor was concrete, perfect for sound and security. At about that time (1961) Harvey Glatt, owner of Treble Clef Records, approached George and I about becoming a partner.
2 replies on “248 Bank Street”
I went there many times to see The Greenbriar Boys, Ian & Sylvia (very early), Jack Elliott, Nev Wells, Pete Hodgson (later the Great Sneezy Waters), John Hodgson, John Hammond, Ed Honeywell and many others. I often get skeptical looks when I tell people about the Bank Street location before the move to Sussex.
My first Le Hibou experience was in my dining room in Letbridge Alberta watching a tv feature about the coffee house while I was a grade 12 student. Soon after I arrived at Carleton fall 1962 I discovered the Bank Street venue and became a regular volunteer at the door and as a waitress. The performer I remember getting to know most was Ritchie Havens. Listening to resident artists like Nev Wells, Jamie Buell, John Hodgson and Sandy Crawley became a way of life.