Dear Smoke Family,
We are thrilled to share with you that SMOKE has received a Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, a grant that guarantees--since being closed to in-club audiences since March 2020--that we will be reopening and presenting some of the best live music on the planet at 106th Street and Broadway!
We are relieved and grateful and have so many to thank: The Senators and Representatives who wrote and passed the bill; the Small Business Administration (SBA) who managed the applications and awards; the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) who guided and advocated for us; and, most importantly, everyone who sustained us with letters, phone calls and support over the last 16+ months. It means the world to us! These funds will allow us to pay off some of our debt and offset the tremendous losses we accumulated during the shutdown.
But it is also a special moment, after so much COVID suffering and loss, that our elected officials have recognized that music, the performing arts, and even small independent jazz clubs are worth saving and deserve the pandemic assistance that often seems reserved for financial institutions and big businesses.
There is more good news from SMOKE. We have been in discussions for the last four years or so about adding two adjacent and vacant storefronts to the club and are in the process of combining these spaces. When the need to provide more separation between patrons at our famously cozy club became a requirement, we knew we would need extra space to re-open and remain viable. Fortunately, our landlord was especially supportive of that plan throughout the pandemic and worked closely with us to ensure that SMOKE was able to survive the extended shutdown. We feel very fortunate to have had them as a partner during this difficult time for small businesses!
We believe that we will not only be able to provide a safer club environment but an overall improved listening and viewing experience. Since the club has been closed, we were able to undertake some of these renovations without disrupting the music. Unfortunately, as sometimes happens in New York City, the work is a little behind schedule and we won’t be able to reopen immediately. We are coming back and better than ever, but it is going to have to wait just a little longer. It isn’t easy for us to be patient either but we believe (and hope you will, too) that it will be worth the wait.

Paul & Molly