All Over Albany

Can you really call that area a Theater District? I know there's the Palace and Capital Rep, but otherwise I think of that stretch of Pearl St as the Drinking District.

... said Eric Scheirer Stott on Aug 6, 2012 at 11:06 AM | link

There's been a litany of excuses tossed out by him, including the equally as dumb and unfounded assertion that people are afraid to go to downtown Troy.

On North Pearl Street.

Did he ever stand out on that street on a Friday or Saturday night? He's either grasping for straws or blind, deaf and dumb.

Yet another guy who dropped the ball and then blamed the turf for tripping him up.

... said Kevin Marshall on Aug 6, 2012 at 11:46 AM | link

Honestly, this guy is an idiot. He bought the place last year for $2.4m and had to list it a year later around $1.6m? Sounds like a pretty good businessman to me. He invested $0 in a venue that was over 10 years old, and showed it. And now because he is a terrible businessman, he is leaving a huge hole on Pearl St in one of its largest buildings by sq footage. This guy should be absolutely vilified.

... said Downtowner on Aug 6, 2012 at 1:33 PM | link

I agree with Eric, only I always called that area the Beer Mall. I'm also in awe of his skills as a businessman - it's like he's a black hole of fail. How exactly does saying the whole area is dragging things down promote the sale of Jillian's again?

... said Gina on Aug 6, 2012 at 1:51 PM | link

It just always seemed a bit too far away for me and my friends. If I'm drinking at Susies, then heading over to Justins, then finishing at Fuzebox,(our usual start/finish) I'm not going to THEN hop in a cab (or stumble) down to S. Pearl. Beer Mall, indeed. Too far off the beaten path. The nightlife just stayed put in the Lark St. area. Downtown is dead after 5pm always. Sucks the guy is sad and apparently lost his shirt on the deal, but "let's go to jillians..." is/was a punchline. Sad.

... said arnold on Aug 6, 2012 at 2:55 PM | link

I have to disagree with the owner and feel that the City of Albany has poured a lot of resources into downtown and it appears the private industry is now just starting to take advantage of that (new condos, downtown apartments, a more diverse selection of restaurants, etc), which is the way it should be, and a great example of the public sector jumpstarting the process and passing the baton to the private sector.

While I can't attest to his business acumen (based on some post here, he seems to be a less than astute business man), I do think there may be some market saturation on the number of "Let's get drunk" venues along that strip that he may not have anticipated (or should have anticipated), thats diminishing his sales. However, I also suspect that the downtown now has a maturing clientele that tend to shy away from establishments like his. While I wasn't big on going downtown to get drunk, I had many college buddies who did, but now that we are all a few years removed from college, we tend to enjoy the many new restaurants that have popped up downtown, that offer a more casual dinning and drinking experience (versus the scream past the crowd to get a drink and hope you don't spill it experiences). These places appear to be doing well and the fact that the owner of Jillian's hasn't kept pace with this emerging trend, he's found himself getting left behind. Just a thought...

... said Rich on Aug 7, 2012 at 9:01 AM | link

I completely agree with Rich. Story: when I moved here about six years ago I once tried to get a bite to eat after 10pm on Pearl St. with my brother and his wife. Seemed simple enough. Jillian's was the only place serving food (everywhere else had already turned into a bumping nightclub meat market for the night). We got kicked out of Jillian's because my brother's wife had sandals on...not beach sandals, nice summer dress sandals. The meathead at the door said no open toed shoes. So we left...and never went back. I actually did go back once just to meet friends...and got my expensive jacket stolen right from the back of my seat. I've always hung out on Lark and hated Pearl St. because of that. However, recently I've seen an emergence of really cool bars downtown. City Beer Hall, Old English Pub, and Legends just to name a few. My fiancé and I are actually having our wedding and rehearsal dinner in that area later this month. It's become a really neat hang out/ eat/spend time area in Albany. Jillian's is just being left behind by these better places. Good riddance. That place has always represented Pearl St and the hoochy party scene. That's not what Pearl St. is anymore. I hope someone buys it and transforms it into another cool place...that allows sandals and people to hang out.

... said Curt on Aug 7, 2012 at 10:15 AM | link

I frequented Jillians in my single days, but hadn't been back until this past February when I was in town to catch a show at the Palace. I was really surprised at the lack of crowd (we had just left a bustling McGearys) and condition of the place.... looked beaten down and smelled of beer. We got a so-so meal from a so-so bartender who was more intersted in talking to his co-worker than serving us. Seems like Jillians real problem was that they forgot about the basics.

... said Barold on Aug 7, 2012 at 11:23 AM | link

Hello,

If any cooks from Jillian's are looking for work - I know of a head cook position open for Tavern / pub style food.

Please contact Kim 518-265-0404

... said Kim on Sep 4, 2012 at 1:17 PM | link