F*CK FEAR
Grant Henry (AKA Sister Louisa) dropped out of seminary and pursued his "search for truth" into art, bars, retail, and now a retreat center.
ATLANTA, GA
I spent summers as a teen in Atlanta. My dad - who was never really in one area for very long - lived here and I got to visit the bars he worked in. Atlanta is one of the best bar cities in the US. So pulling into town I hit the bourgeoisie bars, dive bars, karaoke bars, burlesque bars, always searching for the best place to get my drink on.
Atlanta loves its bars and it loves its churches... but what about a bar called "Church"? Grant Henry (AKA Sister Louisa) dropped out of seminary because his search for truth led him to art, using motifs of velvet jesus paintings, candid sayings like "Fuck Fear", and just plain old, nutty, tacky kitsch. When he opened his bar called "Sister Louisa's Church of the Living Room and Ping Pong Emporium" some local churches actually protested the name.
In this podcast he tells a story of a the local pastor coming in that is hilariously awkward but also lighthearted confrontational. Grant now has a second location in Athens GA, a retail shop called Church Merch, and he just bought a former kids camp and is turning it into "Sanctuary", a retreat that includes the motifs of his art and bars. This podcast covers unconventional business names, combining art & night life, and shouting hallelujah to big changes.
DOCU-SHORT
PODCAST
DISCUSSION
Through his experience in hospitality and seminary school, Grant noticed that “community” was a common desire when attending church or going to a bar, and that he could create a better option for his audience.
“They’re good people. They have as good of souls as the people who come to your place [a church]. They come here because they feel the need to have connection in life. And they get it here. If you notice, we don’t have TVs and we don’t allow smoking, and without TVs and smoking the only thing you can do is communicate with your neighbor. And there’s a lot to communicate with your neighbor about in this space.” (23:00)
“When someone visits for the first and they leave, the next day they go to work it’s the only thing they talk about is where they were. Around the water cooler, get them to talk about their experience there. Then you’ll have an institution.” (36:00)
Q: What are the desires of your audience?
Opening a bar named “Church” shows that Grant knows how to creatively combine categories that most wouldn’t think could co-exist. Bending or breaking categories is almost always provocative. You can temper that boldness with something known and comfortable. Lucas describes Grant’s combination of art with church as “Give them something provocative but a little bit nostalgic… because you’re going to respect it.”
Most bars will hang art and curious objects, but Grant makes the distinction that art always comes first for him. “I’m an artist who sells alcohol, not a bar that shows art”. (10:00)
Q: Can you combine your “art” with another category, something already established?