Musicians to rock the Boulder Theater in support of The Merc

BOULDER — For years, the Mercantile Cafe in Jamestown has served as an incubator of sorts for local musicians. And on Wednesday, a group of artists with ties to the Merc are coming together at the Boulder Theater to help save the historic community gathering place. 

“The Merc is a starting place for a lot of musicians in the area, where so many people do their first open mic or their band’s first gig. So there’s a lot of sentimental feelings from the accomplished musicians in the area about these places where artists can get their start,” said cafe owner Rainbow Shultz, who leads the nonprofit group Save the Merc. “We have such a supportive audience, so it probably kind of feels like helping their old family, giving back to their roots where they started.”

Built in 1892, the Merc building — Jamestown’s only storefront — served as the town’s post office and general store in the early 1900s, then found life as a cafe, restaurant and bar.

Now, locals call the place “the community living room.” It has hosted live music, poetry nights, community dinners, classes, celebrations, fundraisers and countless everyday conversations that bind rural mountain communities together.

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Landmarks in 1989. That helped make it attractive to Burton “Burt” Loupee, who bought the structure seven years ago for $735,000 as an investment. Now he wants to sell it.

Save the Merc is trying to raise at least $1 million to buy the building at 108 Main St. 

If the fundraising drive succeeds and Save the Merc purchases the property, it plans to operate as landlord and steward while existing tenants, including the cafe, continue operating. Rental income from the building’s eight units is expected to help cover maintenance and operating costs, while future grants and donations would support expanded programming.

The Save the Merc fundraising effort has thus far brought in about $170,000. Shultz anticipates ticket sales for the Boulder Theater show will gross another roughly $40,000, with a few thousand more raised through a silent auction. 

“We’ve encouraged people to be really creative with what they donate to the silent auction,” Shultz said. “So people have been donating things like, ‘Come on a date with me on my scooter,’ or, ‘Come on a golf cart trip around Lyons.’ We have kind of priceless, unlimited potential with our silent auction items, depending on how much people get into it. So that kind of leaves it up in the air how much we might be able to raise on Wednesday.”

The lineup for Wednesday’s show at the Boulder Theater includes Daniel Rodriguez, Lindsay Lou, David Satori of Dirtwire and Foggy Mountain Spaceship with Andy Thorn.

The concert came about during a brainstorming session among volunteers with the Save the Merc nonprofit group about possible fundraising events. 

“One of the volunteers — they want to remain anonymous — just said, ‘I’m doing it; I’m renting the Boulder Theater and we’re throwing a concert.’”

Once the venue was secure, thanks to the generosity of this mystery patron, “some of the bands that play the Merc heard about it and started contacting their friends, who contacted their friends. And before we knew it, (the Boulder Theater performer lineup) was totally booked.”

For folks who haven’t locked in plans for Wednesday evening, Shultz recommends that you “buy tickets soon. It’s all-ages, so families are welcome. It starts at 7 p.m., so you can come early on a school night. Or if you’re a night owl, you can come out later. The lineup is epic; it’s going to be a super fun, casual Wednesday hang.”

For tickets and information, visit www.savethemerc.org.

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