The Attic officially opened September 7, 1971, in Greenville, NC, and . The nightclub served as a local venue for entertainment and live music. The collection spans 1970-1985 and includes photographs, posters, advertisements, t-shirts, and a few publications. The strength of the collection is in documenting the variety of music performed as well as the club's later efforts to branch out into comedy and other forms of entertainment.
The Attic officially opened September 7, 1971. The club was owned and operated by Tom Haines from1971-1990, and by Joe Tronto from 1990-2002. The club was located at 209 E. Fifth Street from 1971 until January 1976 when it moved about a block away to a larger building located at 103 E. Fourth St. On the morning of September 9, 1984, the building was destroyed by fire, allegedly caused by a cigarette. The whole building was soon demolished. The fire forced a temporary move of the Attic before returning to its original location on 5th Street in October 1984. The club closed in 2002.
In 1971, Tom Haines was a veteran and attending East Carolina University (ECU) in Greenville, NC as an art major. Previously, he had been drafted to serve in Vietnam, but got out quickly and reapplied to college. He dropped out of school for six months to get the club running, then returned to school while running the club simultaneously. The Attic had a slow start with little following. But Haines forged on promoting the club. Over the years, Haines made an effort to keep the club fresh and new. This included the music, as well as the utilization of videotaping, sports tournaments and events held in partnership with ECU. Haines has attributed his success his managers' work to keep the club up on trends and styles, insuring the people will attend.
In 1977, the club was described as packed on the weekends, loud and a good place to dance. Admission was a dollar and beer was sixty cents. The crowd averaged four to seven hundred people on a busy night. Since the Fire Marshal stated that more than 400 was unsafe, they finally had to limit the number to 400.
According to the articles in the late seventies, the critics remarked that the club filled a void in ECU students' lives, as it was different from work and study and a place to relax and mix with others socially. There were many articles and promotions of the club in ECU's school newspaper, The East Carolinian (insert link to related material). Indeed, the club had many ties to ECU throughout its history. ECU fraternities and sororities sponsored bands on occasion. In turn, the Attic regularly sponsored charity events in collaboration with the campus. The club also offered student discounts and occasionally held benefit concerts. One concert raised funds for the North Carolina United Cerebral Palsy fund. In a published 1980 survey in the ECU student newspaper, the Attic was rated the number one nightclub out of a total of thirteen in the area.
Besides the club's occasional trouble with overcrowding, other issues hindered their day-to-day business. In November 1982, the nightclub was challenged on their noise level when the Greenville City Council made a visit and conducted very thorough tests (oooh, what kinds of tests?). Around the same time a new law went into effect raising the drinking age from 18 to 19 years old. Despite these difficulties, the club successfully stayed hip to the latest trends while being innovative in their business practices.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the types of music promoted by the club were described as album rock, country rock, southern rock, show rock, blues rock, blue grass jazz and commercial rock. Soul, disco and beach music were avoided. Southern Rock, by far, was the most popular genre owing to the groundbreaking sound of The Allman Brothers (Band?). On average per year The Attic booked over sixty different musical groups including Black Oak Arkansas, Molly Hatchet, Grinderswitch, Wet Willie, Dixie Dregs, Cowboy, and Sea Level.
In April 1980, Tom Haines was personally awarded a gold album by the band Outlaws. This was awarded for Haines' willingness to offer opportunities for little-known bands to succeed, as well as his professionalism and dedication to the music industry. Haines' creative business ideas brought the crowds in to see these bands…
The Attic Nightclub Collection consists of photographs, posters, advertisements, t-shirts, and a few publications accumulated through the course of nightclub business. The materials generally relate to live music and entertainment, with heavy emphasis on merchandising and promotion of the club.
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