Saturday, Starkville’s own, State Theatre, will be re-opening. The people behind this exciting renewal are Drew Cleek, Daniel Waide and Sunny Desai. This is neither of their first business decisions but for Cleek, who partnered in local bakery Cups and Cakes, it was certainly the “most complicated and much more of a risk.” However, Cleek said reviving a Starkville staple such as State Theatre has “many more rewards.”
Waide, an attorney from West Point who owns the bar “Tabs,” and Desai, who owns the Hilton Garden Inn in Starkville, also contributed their own visions and ideas for this project. For the next three weeks, State Theatre will be opening just as it was before it closed. It will have the same atmosphere and style. After Christmas break, MSU students will come back to find it has changed completely. The inside will undergo a tremendous facelift with a new paint job to brighten the interior. There will also be a dress code and better security, Cleek said, to “change the stigma and image of State Theatre to professionalize the atmosphere and building itself.”
These three partners are not the only ones excited.
“It was such a fun place to go to on the weekends. It is a great place to dance and have fun, and I am excited it’s re-opening,” Regan Murphy, sophomore education major, said
Another part of State Theatre in the works is Dawg Wingz, a restaurant right next door similar to Buffalo Wild Wings. Cleek, Waide and Desai are trying to branch out with the restaurant and cater to more people around Starkville. One new thing they are trying is instead of menus, customers will be given iPads to place their orders on. The iPads will have the menu, reviews of the foodand the nutritional information. They are hoping to bring in a lot of new customers with this idea. This goes along with the professional atmosphere they are trying to create.
The last big difference between the old State Theatre and the future one is it will be considered a bigger venue for music acts and bands. Instead of many small acts coming frequently, there will be one big band a month performing at the newly renovated bar. Cleek feels as though this idea will definitely bring a new and bigger crowd.
Alex Benge, sophomore biological sciences major, is especially excited about this.
“State Theatre was a cool place for friends to go and hang out. I love their set up for bands, and I would like for our music scene to grow as this venue opens back up. I know a lot of people will be there opening night,” Benge said.