6,970 Square Foot Retail Space For Sale @ 208 S 1st St

Listing includes building, business and liquor license. Entities will not be split.
Throughout the years The Blind Pig, a popular local nightclub & concert venue, has played an instrumental role in the ushering in & showcasing of this musical activity. Since its incarnation almost 30 years ago, The Blind Pig has gone through several phases, each of which has been equally notable in the annals of Ann Arbor's cultural diary.
Tom Isaia, a University of Michigan senior, and Jerry Delgiudice started the club in 1971 shortly after Jerry graduated from Loyola University in Chicago. They purchased what was originally office space built for the mill next door & did some renovations, which included building a small stage & bar in the basement. They named it "Blind Pig" after a Detroit slang term for police officers that had been bribed by speakeasy proprietors during the prohibition era of the 1920s, & with that, a legend was born.
The Blind Pig of the '70s was a considerably different entity than the one that we know today. It was not strictly a nightclub, but also doubled as a café. Serving cappuccino, pastries & other such coffeehouse delicacies during the daytime, the establishment helped open Ann Arbor up to the "coffee culture" that can now be found on virtually every street corner in the country.
The night scene at the Pig also leaned toward finer & more eccentric tastes than the average town pub.
The thriving blues scene at the Pig in the '70s inspired Delgiudice to take things one step further & start his own record label under the moniker of Blind Pig records in 1975. Many of the same artists that performed regularly at the Pig released material on the independent label.
In 1981 Isaia & Delgiudice moved on, transferring ownership to an area couple, Roy & Betty Goffett. The Goffetts, along with coordinating manager Todd Headrick, led the club through a period of considerable change.
The '80s saw the significant expansion of the establishment, both physically & artistically. The Goffetts more than doubled the interior space of the club by purchasing an adjacent building & bringing the stage area from the miniscule basement to the upper level. They also added an additional bar, The Eightball Saloon, downstairs.
During the late '80s & early '90s "college rock" turned into "alternative" & "grunge." Again, the Pig showcased a series of bands during this time that, while barely having enough money to tour, were unknowingly destined for world fame & acclaim. Among these were Soundgarden, The Screaming Trees, The Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam & a scraggly little band of upstarts called Nirvana.
It was Nirvana, years after they played there, who gave the Pig their most flattering moment in the limelight when they, on a televised MTV interview, cited the club as their number one venue of choice anywhere, ever.
Perhaps it was because, way back in '89 when they were barely scraping across the country in a rattletrap van, the Pig gave them the biggest audience turnout that they had ever had. Whatever the case, The Goffetts payed homage with a framed shrine to Nirvana that is featured inside the club, the centerpiece of which is a record containing songs that the band had performed at the venue.
These days, The Blind Pig continues to provide Ann Arbor with its small, although profound, corner of the music world. Showing an even mix of local talent & the occasional larger act, the Pig is still the hippest place in town & stands as a testament to the area's rich cultural heritage.
Just as the midwestern blues acts called it home in the '70s, so do bands like Midwest Product, Funktelligence & Donkey Punch call it home today. Although Ann Arbor may not be the largest spot on the map, the Blind Pig is to the city what CBGB's is to New York or what The Whiskey A Go Go is to Los Angeles. It is a living legend, a place that has seen history unfold inside its very confines.
By Steve Gertz/Daily Arts Writer/The Michigan Daily