Live Music Venue Announced for Beadle Building on Front Street

On the heels of a new comedy club being announced this week in the lower level of the Beadle building - the prominent property on the corner of Front and Cass that previously housed Mackinaw Brewing Company - live music venue The Red Piano has announced it will be opening a Traverse City location on the main floor of the building.

In a Facebook post, The Red Piano said it planned to open its Traverse City location in March 2026. The piano bar, which has locations in Santa Barbara and St. Maarten, offers daily live music acts and a full bar. While the existing locations don't offer food, blueprints posted to Facebook for the Traverse City location show a kitchen area for the business.

The company's post states that "this week we moved past the hunting, the negotiating, the weighing the odds, and the signing. This week we're working with the architects, the engineers, and the builders as we plan every perfect inch of our new location in downtown Traverse City, Michigan at 161 East Front Street."

In the comments section, the company said it was looking to grow since both of its existing locations are thriving "and decided Traverse City was next." The Red Piano said future additional locations are possible, "but we'll have our hands full for a minute." Building owner Jon Carlson told The Ticker earlier this week that an "exciting" new tenant had been secured for the ground floor, saying there was "no one like them in town." The Red Piano co-owner Jason Jones could not immediately be reached for comment.

In a Facebook post, Jason Thibodeau of North Bar - located across the street from the new entertainment venue - said he was "thrilled to welcome Red Piano as our new neighbor! At North Bar, The Pub, and The Parlor, we’ve always been proud supporters of local musicians and live music, and it’s exciting to see another venue sharing the same passion for making Traverse City a vibrant, music-filled community. I’ve long considered Santa Barbara a second home and always dreamed of creating a connection between Traverse City and Santa Barbara through business and community. Colin (Campbell) and Jason (Jones) have done just that with Red Piano, and we couldn’t think of a better neighbor to share our corner of downtown with."

The lower level of the Beadle building is set to become a new 50-60 seat comedy room called Voyageurs owned and operated by local comedian Devin Keast. The club, which will have a full bar and run a mix of open mic nights, local comedy showcases, and headlining acts Wednesday-Saturday, is targeted for a November opening.