Songbirds Guitar Museum is looking to expand its live museum component, and it isn't going far. In fact, it will be adding the space downstairs from its Chattanooga Choo Choo location into what is now Revelry Room.
The change will happen almost immediately, with Revelry Room shutting down Sunday for 10 days and reopening under the name Songbirds on Feb. 28 for the already scheduled Tim Reynolds concert.
Songbirds President Johnny E. Smith said, "As we've seen our shows continue to grow in popularity - we did three sold-out shows this weekend - and as we continue to provide something unique in an environment that's like no other, we started thinking it was time to expand that part of our business."
Choo Choo President Adam Kinsey said, "Songbirds Guitar Museum, in celebration of their one-year anniversary, will be expanding to offer customers a nearly 14,000-square-foot music experience. Based on the great success of the world's largest collection of rare and vintage guitars, this addition will focus on expanding the Songbirds live music experience."
Smith and his team will take over managing the 600-seat venue from Kinsey's wife, Monica Kinsey. Kinsey said his wife is looking forward to devoting her time to other projects on the property.
Smith said the space will be called Songbirds, though management might come up with a new way to distinguish between the upstairs and downstairs venues. He said the goal is to think of unique ways to incorporate the museum and its rotating display of 1,700 vintage and rare fretted instruments and the downstairs venue.
"In my dream world, we might have workshops or an acoustic show upstairs and then a full-band concert downstairs. We can use the spaces simultaneously, or we might have events downstairs during the day. It's a truly unique opportunity."
He said the crews will use the 10 days to change some of the signs, give it more of a Songbirds' vibe and upgrade the sound system.
"Upgrading the sound system is the biggest thing right off the bat," he said. "After that, we will probably slow walk it. We didn't want to interrupt what is already on the schedule. We just thought it would be awesome to expand on it, and we also want continue to do what Adam and Monica started down there."
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.