‘Our primary focus is original music’
Providence bar Myrtle gives new artists a stage
EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Zebra-printed curtains, plush upholstered furniture, and crystal chandeliers set the stage at this artful space in East Providence. Myrtle is a cocktail bar and live music lounge that opened in September, owned by former touring musicians and artists Natalie Vanlandingham and Tommy Allen.
The pair has poured everything into this 2,700 square-foot space on 134 Waterman Ave., which used to be a tool shop and a shoe repair factory. Their goal was to create “a cool artist loft that maybe your grandma lives in,” said Allen as he swept the floor on a recent weekday.
He and Vanlandingham have a hand in everything from booking acts, to conceptualizing the drink menu, to keeping the place clean. There’s live music from new artists and DJs almost every night of the week.
“Our primary focus is original music,” said Vanlandingham, adding that there’s a big cover band scene in Rhode Island from which they wanted to set themselves apart.
In a short period of time, Vanlandingham and Allen pulled it off. They’re thankful every day for the community hub they’ve created, attracting regulars and out-of-towners every night.
Vanlandingham hails from Georgia, Allen is from Dorchester, Mass., and the pair caught up with the Globe to reflect on what it’s been like getting their business off the ground, how the city of East Providence helped make it happen, and why a business like this would be a lot harder to start in a city like Boston.
What inspired you to open Myrtle?
NV: We’re both musicians and artists, and for a while we were traveling around, touring, and doing gigs wherever we could. Anytime we’d come home, we’d bartend. My family had a restaurant when I was growing up, and Tommy has been in this industry for the last 20 years. At some point in the pandemic, we were talking about what we were going to do once things opened back up. At that point, we’d been “playing bar” at our house, and we thought, “We should try to make this happen if we can.” It seemed like a real pipe dream. We don’t come from money. We just had to sit down and think up a way to realize this idea.
Why did you decide to open the business in East Providence?
NV: We were living on the East Side [of Providence], and after things started opening up again, our landlord raised our rent, so we ended up in East Providence. There’s a lot of great bars around here. Dive bars. Sports bars. There’s bars that do have live music, but they’re mostly doing cover bands. We wanted to create something where we can have original bands. Somewhere that didn’t have TVs where people can sit and talk and really get to know each other. We saw the need and started looking for an empty building.
We found the space in October 2022. We had a lot of work to do. We had to change the use of space. We had to get a liquor license. It’s in this part of town called the Crossover District, where they did a lot of work on some old zoning laws and regulations that would attract newer businesses.
The city was really flexible about letting us change the use of the building. They had grants available. So we worked really closely with the city to get the space up and running. After long negotiations about rent and lease, we got the keys in April 2023. We had to do a full gut renovation, asbestos removal. We did it all in six months, which is pretty quick. We were really lucky to have contractors that were also musicians and wanted to see the space realized. Everyone kind of helped push us along and get things done quickly so we could open.
Both of you lived in Boston at different points in life. Do you think you could have pulled this off there?
NV: I don’t think we could have done anything like this in Boston. The rents are just crazy. It’s one of the reasons we moved to Rhode Island in the first place. I come from a really small town of about 300 people, so I tend to understand smaller towns better. The sense of community in Rhode Island is something that I really appreciate. People want to see you do well, and if you’re good to them, they’re good to you.
Talk about some of the artists and performers who come through.
NV: There aren’t any cover bands without original bands, so we focus on original bands and having touring bands come through. We [recently] had Richard Lloyd of the band Television, which [was] a big, exciting show for us, and kind of a dream. We have an amazing open mic night every month, where we have a different Rhode Island celebrity as guest host. It’s like a big Rhode Island talent show.
Why did you decide to name the business Myrtle?
NV: It’s my great-grandmother’s name. She [was] southern. She loved precious things. She’d drink water out of fancy crystal. She loved chandeliers. Loved plants. Loved velvet. So I took a lot of inspiration from her. Tommy grew up on Myrtle Bank Avenue in Dorchester, so it was kind of a double.
What’s been the most rewarding part about running this business?
NV: Seeing people enjoy it. They’ll never understand what we had had to do to get this, or the work that went into it, but they don’t need to. Their job is to come in and enjoy, and it seems like they are. It’s really special.
Has business been affected by the closure of the Washington Bridge?
NV: When it first happened, yes, but we’re lucky that since we first opened, we’ve had a lot of support. We’re just focused on doing our thing. At this point, I won’t even let my regulars talk about the bridge. We’re focused on what’s best for the business, best for the artists in the business, and for our employees. We’ll do whatever we can to keep it afloat.