Three years ago, a group of friends believed a nightlife district could blossom in Downtown. They branded it The Elbow, for its perpendicular streets of Ocean and Bay.
The name worked its way into local colloquialisms. A shorthand that would surface in the monologue of a radio host, marketing-speak by city leaders or the conversation at the water cooler about where people in Jacksonville go for a good time.
The brand became ubiquitous and then, it almost ended.
A year ago Grant Nielsen, a founding member of The Elbow, took down the online events calendar he’d run pro bono for a year-and-a-half.
“I just about killed myself managing that thing,” he said.
Nielsen met with city leaders and district businesses to find out whether The Elbow had any relevance to them.
It did. Now one year later, The Elbow has more caretakers.
Downtown Vision Inc. launched a $20,000 marketing campaign for the district.
The city this year officially adopted the name and the Downtown Investment Authority hung banners from street posts in designated areas.
Most importantly, the businesses themselves banded together.
Eleven of The Elbow’s 16 venues now pay into a marketing co-op that meets monthly and guides promotions districtwide.
At The Elbow’s November meeting, it wasn’t a typical three-piece-suit business crowd that showed up. Instead, a tattooed, dreadlocked, nose-pierced collection of 20- and 30-somethings gathered at the Hourglass Pub and Coffeehouse, where a two-for-one beer special was running.
The appearance was deceptive. Close your eyes and the discussion competed with a CEO boardroom for professionalism.
There was a conversation about whether the district should partner with or run separately from this year’s One Spark festival, which plans to consolidate three blocks away.
Another about a do-it-yourself solution for lighting The Elbow after dark.
Another suggesting The Elbow restaurateurs could leave their menus at Elbow bars and deliver food orders.
It’s been nine months since the merchants began meeting.
“Everyone’s become more cohesive,” said Hourglass owner Shannon “Widow” Williams.
“At first people could be a little catty. We didn’t know how to work together.”
The Elbow’s brand began years ago. It was forged by Jacksonville millennials who wanted a nightlife district like Tampa’s Ybor City or San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter or Manhattan’s East Village.
A handful of bars and restaurants had already gained a foothold near the district’s anchor venue, The Florida Theatre. Then, three millennial-run venues — Burro Bar, 1904 Music Hall and Underbelly — opened in quick succession.
“For that first year, all we did every weekend was hang out here,” said Jason Hunnicutt of 1904. He needed a way to tell friends where he was. “I’d say, ‘We’re down here getting bent on the elbow.’”
Then, the friends got serious. At the inaugural One Spark in 2013, they launched a website — theelbowjax.com — to promote The Elbow. The online calendar listed not only their events, but those at venues districtwide.
Their neighbors were passively supportive.
“They were like, ‘Is this going to drive people to my business? Then yeah, do whatever you want,’” Nielsen said.
For a year-and-a-half, the friends believed.
Downtown was a special place — there was no other part of Jacksonville where people could park their cars and walk to 16 independent bars, restaurants and live entertainment venues. Districtwide promotion would do more than advertising each one individually.
Nielsen, a graphic artist and musician, grew the website to 1,000 hits a day, but he couldn’t afford to keep running it. The Elbow needed sponsors or it would end.
He met with several city groups. In Downtown Vision, he found a partner.
“We thought — there is this existing branding and community awareness. Let’s see what we can do to amplify that,” said Katherine Hardwick, DVI director of marketing.
Hardwick and Nielsen organized meetings with district businesses, and DVI brought funding.
The website went back up and a series of promotions were launched:
• The Elbow Bender, an after-work block party, with live music and food trucks.
• An alley cleanup, with graffiti artists painting the alley behind The Florida Theater.
• A happy-hour social every Thursday, with venues offering karaoke, throwback nights, trivia, poker and $2-off drinks specials.
• Art Walk After Dark, an after-party for the monthly event, with artists featured at Elbow venues.
Some business owners say it’s not clear yet what the impact has been on their bottom line. Others see results.
At the first Art Walk After Dark, The Hourglass did twice its normal business, Williams said. “We had to hire extra security,” she said.
The buzz from business owners isn’t just from newcomers. Elbow veterans are buying in.
The Elbow succeeds because of its consistent message, said Jason Albertelli, who five years ago opened Dos Gatos cocktail lounge. The Elbow founders persistently marketed the area as Downtown’s entertainment district. Giving it a name helps.
“Without it, the identity of what we do would just be Downtown entertainment district,” he said. “If you look at the acronym — that practically spells dead.”
As a district, The Elbow could wield political clout, said Mark Hemphill, owner of a 10-year-old venue, Mark’s Downtown Nightclub. That could help deal with issues that need support from City Hall.
For instance, Bay Street’s parking meters should come down, now that the courthouse has moved.
Police rules preventing valet parking ought to be lifted.
Also, there needs to be a way to keep The Elbow pedestrian-friendly on days when football games and other events funnel five lanes of traffic down Bay Street.
“We’ve done this organically, but I don’t think the city has any skin in the game yet,” Hemphill said.
Perhaps it’s coming. Until then, business owners are leading the effort.
The Elbow marketing co-op is funded from a $100 per month member assessment with a match from DVI. Williams, who opened The Hourglass a year and a half ago, was one of the businesses that joined.
She did so after seeing the effort Nielsen, Hardwick and others had already put in. Her business was being promoted on The Elbow website and she was being tagged in social media.
“That was cool of them. It made me want to be a part of this,” Williams said.
Today, she sees them as friends and enjoys working with them.
She wondered, if they could do so much for free, what could they do if they were funded?
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