Hill Country businessman bets on dance hall revival
3/30/2007
Tucked between Loop 1604 and the city of Boerne along a stretch of Interstate Highway 10 that separates landscape-altering development on either side, Richard Ojeda stands inside a barn-shaped structure, his feet planted on the wooden floor and his mind racing faster than the motorists a hundred feet away.
He is working to preserve a honky tonk and history a stone's throw away from the upscale Dominion home of country music legend George Strait.
According to the Texas State Historical Association, Leon Springs was the site of a stagecoach stop in 1846 operated by another George -- this one a German nobleman and immigrant with the last name of von Pleve. A post office, steam cotton gin, general store and two hotels were added before the turn of the century.
But times change and progress shows no patience. Eventually, Leon Springs was consumed by San Antonio.
Today, some of its more notable landmarks are a school, a barbecue restaurant and a gas station on one side of the interstate. On the other side is a large strip center anchored by an H-E-B store and a Starbucks.
Situated in between is Leon Springs Dance Hall. It is not one of the oldest such venues in Texas, but it is an important part of what has become an endangered species.
Ojeda, who is president and CEO of Black Tie Affairs Catering, understands that the hall is located squarely in the path of progress. He's trying to save it "for us, for our kids and for their kids."
It won't be easy. Thanks to the temptations created by urban sprawl, some claim Leon Springs Dance Hall is worth less money than the land upon which it sits.
In January 2006, the group that currently owns Leon Springs Dance Hall and adjacent property (Vizza Wash LP) closed the hall's doors.
Roughly seven months later, Ojeda struck a multi-year deal with Vizza allowing him to lease and operate the hall. Ojeda then began the process of renovating and restoring the structure.
"Fortunately, we were in a position as a company to be able to get involved in this effort," Ojeda explains.
That effort came with immediate challenges.
"The hall was closed for nine months," Ojeda notes. "We had to get it back on the map."
Ojeda says he initially signed a five-year lease for the hall, along with a pair of five-year options. His plan is to eventually acquire the hall outright, and he says the lease deal gives him first option to do just that.
At first -- because his background is catering -- Ojeda decided to reopen the hall as a private-event venue. But continuous prodding from area residents and from family members convinced Ojeda that the right thing to do was to give the venue another life as a public place where people could once again gather and kick up their heels.
One family member who kept on Ojeda to convert the hall back into a live music venue was his son, Richard Hill Ojeda, a graduate of Texas Tech University. It just happens to be the same university once attended by Pat Green, widely considered the marquee name atop the Texas music genre.
Ojeda freely admits that his background is not in live entertainment. Some observers suggest because of that Ojeda faces an even tougher uphill battle in an industry that can be ruthless even for the scarred pros.
"We're very young when it comes to the entertainment side of this," Ojeda admits. "That's a whole new ball game. But we're learning."
So Ojeda and his team are trying to walk before they run. In early March, they began a rebranding process with a new concert series that is being promoted as "Live at Leon Springs."
Ojeda says Gruene Hall, which is located near New Braunfels, and Floore Country Store in Helotes are two of his biggest competitors. Because of their proximity and senior status on the live music circuit, they have the leg up when it comes to booking top talent.
At least one of those venues, according to Ojeda, has made it clear that Leon Springs will face certain challenges when it comes to securing certain performers.
Online: sanantonio.bizjournals.com
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