Fusion Lounge hopes to make most of hot spot

Brad Robey hopes customers won't judge his attempt by the failures of others.

Indigo. Our House. Rufus Mudsucker's. Papa Bears.

What do these names have in common? They're all bars that made a go of it in downtown Cape Girardeau at 2 N. Main St. in the past two decades, each with varying degrees of success except the one that matters most:

Surviving.

Now, Sikeston, Mo., businessman Brad Robey is bringing a new bar to the spot and he hopes customers won't judge his attempt by the failures of the others.

"It wasn't the building's fault," he said. "I think it's the best building in downtown Cape. It's got a great location, great parking. I know everybody who's put something in there has been a failure. But don't blame it on the building."

The new bar -- and later, Robey hopes, restaurant -- will be called Fusion Lounge, and he has a targeted opening date of Sept. 18.

With downtown parking at a premium, the new bar is on the corner of Independence and Main streets and the nearby sea of parking spots. It's also in a central part of downtown, near Mollie's, Broussard's and not too far from Buckner's.

"There's no reason it wouldn't have the greatest potential," Robey said.

Right now, it's undergoing another renovation, this time to add separate lounge areas with leather couches and lots of velvet, Robey said. They're also refinishing the large dance floor and making some other changes such as frosted glass on the front, he said.

While Robey has never owned a bar -- his background is in online trading -- he says he's learning from the mistakes of others. Some of the bars catered more to the college crowd, alienating older customers. Others may have gone too far the other way, making younger adults uncomfortable.

"There's money to be made in the bar business," he said. "You've just got to walk that tight line. We don't want a reputation as a college bar or an older person bar. We're just going to go out there and advertise and accept the crowd we get."

Phil Brinson, who owns Buckner's, Jeremiah's in Sikeston and the building that houses Fusion Lounge, thinks the building gets a bad rap. He said he's heard it often said that the building has seen too much turnover.

"It's getting the reputation that nothing can make it there, but I don't agree with that," Brinson said.

He points out that Papa Bears was there for almost a decade and that Mudsucker's was there five or six years. But Our House and Indigo came and went in two years' time.

"That's four businesses in 17, 18 years," he said. "I don't see that as a huge amount. It's a perception, but it's more perception than reality."

Brinson had several offers in the last year that the building has sat empty to buy or lease the property. He declined until he heard Robey's proposal. He said Robey struck him as a smart businessman who could reverse the trend, even if it is only perception.

"He's a sharp guy," Brinson said. "I'm more committed to Brad than his concept. He's in it for the long haul. It's going to contribute to the attractiveness of downtown and to our product mix."

The other businesses that didn't make it, Brinson points out, also didn't benefit from the new excitement that downtown has, thanks to the new river floodwall murals, the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge and the university's soon-to-come River Campus.

"The dynamics of the downtown is changing," he said. "There's increased traffic thanks to all the things that are going on down here."

Robey thinks he has a legitimate shot. He's even planning on bringing in live music from St. Louis bands. Later, he plans to add food. He thinks people will like the atmosphere.

"I don't intend to be on that list of bars that didn't make it," he said.

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137