Tina Chang, chief executive officer of Brookfield-based SysLogic Inc., plans to open a jazz club called Jazzmine in a two-story building at 1821 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive that she and jazz musician Steve Peplin purchased three years ago. Chang and Peplin live on the building’s second floor. Peplin will be the jazz club’s creative director. He and Chang plan to double the size of the 2,800-square-foot building, adding an expansion to the west side that will bring it up to 5,600 square feet of space. The first floor of the building will be for the jazz club and an outdoor sitting garden might also be added west of the building, Chang said. They plan to spend about $300,000 to $600,000 to improve the building, she said. The jazz club will probably open in early 2008, she said. King Drive has been attracting several new businesses in recent years, including Soche, a restaurant at 2213 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. and Finesse, a jazz club at 2722 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Manpower Inc. is building its new headquarters on the southern end of King Drive on the north side of downtown. City officials are trying to attract restaurants and entertainment venues to the area around King Drive and North Avenue to create a new Bronzeville, which was a thriving African American neighborhood years ago in Milwaukee that was destroyed by freeway construction. The jazz club could add to the revitalization momentum for King Drive. "We’re definitely in full support of (Chang’s) project," said Teig Whaley-Smith, executive director of the King Drive Business Improvement District.
However, Chang said she had hoped to get her project started earlier. She said it took her a year and a half to arrange a meeting with Alderman Michael McGee Jr., whose district includes the property. "He made it pretty clear to my backers that his priority was advocating for black business owners," said Chang, who is of Asian decent. "My attitude was, if he didn’t want to see new business in the neighborhood, fine I’ll back off." But after finally meeting with McGee, Chang said, he became supportive of her project. McGee is currently in jail on state and federal charges, including alleged shakedowns of business owners in his district seeking city permits. Chang said McGee did not attempt to extort money from her. The combination of the new Manpower headquarters, the city’s Bronzeville efforts and the street’s proximity to downtown make King Drive a great place to open a jazz club, Chang said. The street should continue to attract nightlife spots, she said. "It’s prime real estate to get some of the downtowns to come north a little bit," Chang said. "I think it’s only a matter of time that people get used to coming north. I’m absolutely passionate about what I’ve learned that music, a specifically jazz music, can bring people together of different races, ages and economic backgrounds."
