The Terminal

Feb. 15, 2009

Donna and Brad Vannatter moved to Traverse City six years ago. As a young professional couple whose work had them traveling the country, they would visit first class nightclubs. The couple looked for an opportunity to develop a nightclub concept in Traverse City, which finally came when Doug Street of Streeter’s and Ground Zero fame decided to sell and pursue other interests.
“We really felt there was an opportunity at Streeter’s to create a diverse entertainment complex that would appeal to everyone,” said Brad Vannatter. “Basically what we are promoting is new owner—new atmosphere—new attitude—new appearance.”
The Vannatter’s changed the name to The Terminal and have redecorated the inside.
“The new name is obvious on one front since we are right next to the airport,” said Donna Vannatter. “But both Brad and I were corporate pilots for several years as well.”

NEW OPTIONS
The Terminal has several options once guests arrive. Platinum X is the rock and roll night club that will feature local bands. Then there is the Double D Saloon that has a country theme to it with line dancing lessons on Wednesday nights, with a plan to bring in country acts on the weekends.
They also have the Vibe Lounge martini bar, and they have the only hookah and cigar lounge in Northern Michigan. Ground Zero Nightclub will soon be renamed the Cargo Hold. This Friday, Clutch will perform as the last official show at the old club; on Saturday, jam-band circuit favorite Ekoostik Hookah will take the stage to officially open The Terminal.
“Our goal is to widen the audience,” said Vannatter. “So we will have a wide range of music and a lot of promotions. A couple times a month we are partnering up with KHQ on some adult-themed nights, and on St. Patrick’s Day we are going to offer free Green Eggs and Ham.”
The Vannatters also own Fantasies Unlimited, a chain of adult gift stores throughout Michigan with Northern Michigan locations in Grayling,
Cheboygan, Big Rapids and now Traverse City.
“We are not affiliated with Fantasy’s at Chum’s Corner,” said Brad Vannatter. “Also, The Terminal is a separate operation. We are not selling adult novelty items here.”

NEW DRESS CODE
Another change the Vannatter’s have implemented at The Terminal is a dress code.
“Good nightclubs have dress codes. So no hats, jerseys, sweatshirts, sweat or athletic pants and no tank tops (wife beaters),” said Brad Vannatter. “We had a few people complain, but overall people like it.”
Another area they plan to focus on is customer service.
“We held onto the best of the staff and we plan to hire 20 to 25 more people,” said Donna Vannatter. “We have put in a pretty intensive customer service program, so we are looking for people who have attention to detail. As former pilots, attention to detail was a big part of our job, so that is important to us. We also want to set the standard for the region for service as well.”
The Vannatters are taking the transition slowly. They took over January 1 and are taking it one step at a time.
“Word is starting to spread so we are seeing a lot more people coming in to check us out,” said Brad. “We have a lot of big shows in the works and more things coming in, like a mechanical bull. Plus, we offer pool free all the time. We are also looking for non-profits in the area to partner with us for Texas Hold Em events.”
For details on upcoming shows, including this weekend’s grand opening, check out the theterminaltc.com or call 231-932-1300.


Ekoostik Hookah kicks off
Grand Opening
To kick off their grand opening and to create awareness for the first-ever hookah bar. Brad and Donna Vannatter have the perfect band with Ekoostik Hookah taking the stage at the Cargo Hold (formally Streeter’s Ground Zero Nightclub).
Ekoostik Hookah was formed in Cleveland in 1991 when a group of musicians from various bands would get together at a local club on an off night and jam.
Founding member and keyboardist Dave Katz recalls those early days and how the band got their name.
“We just started jamming for fun and then people wanted us to play out so we needed a name,” said Katz. “Well we all liked the name Hookah and we started experimenting with names to go with it. Acoustic sounded cool but since we were not an acoustic band, we decided to spell it phonetically. Also acoustic is really the science of sound, not just instruments that are amplified.”
Katz also laughs at the jam band moniker, given the band.
“A jam band can be from any genre of music. So when you say jam band, you really don’t know what you are getting,” said Katz. ‘At least with the bands you don’t but in reality the jam band describes people who you are likely to see at concerts promoted as jam band shows.”

FREE FLOWING
Ekoostik Hookah has built a solid following over 18 years of touring and releasing eight CDs. While the band hasn’t scored radio hits, they have found their following on the jam band circuit performing free flowing rock, weaving in progressive bluegrass and jazz.
So as for the future of Ekoostik Hookah, where do they hope to go?
“This band has never been about making plans -- just making music,” said Katz. “What has kept us together for the past 18 years, and what will keep us together in the future, is we have no expectations. We just take it as it comes and this weekend we are coming to Traverse City. I guess our only expectation is we want people out to our shows that like music. We would rather play for 100 people really into us than have 1,000 people out with everyone talking to each other and not paying attention to us.”
Ekoostik Hookah will perform this Saturday, Feb. 21 with Egon at The Terminal (formally Streeters) for the grand opening celebration. For ticket information call 231-932-1300. For a sample of Ekoostik Hookah visit their website ekoostik.com.