Hugh's Room to return next month

Good news for blues, folk and jazz music fans of Toronto, Hugh's Room won't be just another defunct live music venue we recall fondly.

Owners, neighbours, and members of the community hinted at the possibility of re-opening the much-loved live music venue as a community-run space after it suddenly shut its doors early this year.

After a lot of organizing and fundraising, that dream has come to life. A not-for-profit corporation has formed to manage the Roncesvalles club, which will now be called Hugh’s Room Live.

Since the club announced it was shutting its doors, the building it called home was been sold. Fortunately, a new lease has been signed with the current owner, and the plan is to re-open the venue by April 19.

According to a press release, original general manager of the club, Anthony Ferrando will return to run the newly mandated space, while renowned music consultant Derek Andrews will run booking and marketing. They're also hoping to rehire most original staff.

Hugh's Room Live is still raising funds through a Go Fund Me initiative. So far they've raised $83,000, which will get the venue up and running again. Their ultimate goal is $250,000, which would help sustain it for the long term.

The next steps will be forming a board, revamping the food menu and fixing building issues. Though the current organization can't refund artists and ticket holders from scheduled shows before the venue suddenly closed, they're looking into it.