Sandman Comedy Club’s final show is set for this Sunday, June 25. (Mike Platania photos)
After stints housing a nightclub, brewery and comedy club, a former downtown bank building is now set for a fourth new use: a mini-casino.
Michael Sands is preparing to convert his Sandman Comedy Club at 401 E. Grace St. into Sandman Casino Bar.
The new concept will include eight Texas hold’em poker tables at which Sands said he’s planning to host nightly charity poker tournaments, as well as five pool tables, a handful of dart boards, and Queen of Virginia and keno machines.
The comedy club’s final show was last weekend on June 25. Sands said he’s refunding tickets that were purchased for future shows that are now scrapped.
Sands signed a lease for the space in early 2020 and opened his comedy club in April 2021 after a year-long, pandemic-induced delay. Prior to housing Sandman Comedy Club, the 6,000-square-foot space, once a Bank of Virginia branch, had been home to Champion Brewing Co. and restaurant and nightclub Aurora.
Sands said the numbers simply didn’t work for a comedy club.
“Having a comedy club is like having a one-screen movie theater in a small town. If people don’t like the movie, they’re not going to go see it,” Sands said. “We’ve got a good loyal base of customers and I love them — they’ve been great. I just wish we had more of them, that we could clone them.”
Sands said there are many hidden costs in running a comedy club. In addition to paying comedians a guarantee and percentage of the door sales, he said he also has to pay for their lodging at hotels and comp them meals. Last year he said those costs added up to about $22,000 for comped meals and $32,000 for hotel rooms.
Prior to the comedy club, the Grace Street space was home to Champion Brewing Co.
He said the $20 to $25 Sandman Comedy Club charges on average for tickets isn’t enough to make the club viable.
“The cost of the comedians has gone up. Their prices are unreasonably high right now because they’re trying to make up for money they lost during COVID. And I get it, they lost money then, but so did we,” Sands said.
“What you end up being is a restaurant/bar that uses comedy to bring people in, which is fine, if they’re coming in. But if not, you’re spending a lot of money to bring people in.”
These factors led Sands to seek a gaming conversion for Sandman. He said charitable gaming is the avenue through which he’s looking to legally host poker tournaments at his new venture.
Charitable gaming is regulated by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) and allows nonprofits to legally host poker and bingo tournaments to raise funds.
Sands said he’s in talks with local charities who’d partner with him on the casino and would be the recipient of money raised at tournaments at his new concept.
Changes to the charitable gaming industry’s regulations have been floated in the General Assembly recently, and more changes may be on the way in the future, however Sands is confident he’ll be able legally hold poker tournaments, particularly because of the state-sanctioned casinos that have opened in Danville and Portsmouth, and are in the works for Norfolk and Bristol.
“The state opened Pandora’s box to allow (Las) Vegas-style casinos to come into the state,” he said. “Once you do that, it’s hard to tell me that I can’t have legal gambling in my facility.”
A state-sanctioned casino also is in play in Richmond, as residents are set to vote later this year on a do-over referendum for Urban One’s proposed $600 million One Casino + Resort on the Southside.
Sands is planning to begin converting the comedy club into its new gambling focus later this month with eyes on an early August reopening.
Another of the region’s comedy clubs, Funny Bone Comedy Club in Short Pump Town Center, has also evolved in the changing industry with a different kind of gaming: the chain recently expanded to add an arcade-bar to its space in the mall.
Sandman Comedy Club’s final show is set for this Sunday, June 25. (Mike Platania photos)
After stints housing a nightclub, brewery and comedy club, a former downtown bank building is now set for a fourth new use: a mini-casino.
Michael Sands is preparing to convert his Sandman Comedy Club at 401 E. Grace St. into Sandman Casino Bar.
The new concept will include eight Texas hold’em poker tables at which Sands said he’s planning to host nightly charity poker tournaments, as well as five pool tables, a handful of dart boards, and Queen of Virginia and keno machines.
The comedy club’s final show was last weekend on June 25. Sands said he’s refunding tickets that were purchased for future shows that are now scrapped.
Sands signed a lease for the space in early 2020 and opened his comedy club in April 2021 after a year-long, pandemic-induced delay. Prior to housing Sandman Comedy Club, the 6,000-square-foot space, once a Bank of Virginia branch, had been home to Champion Brewing Co. and restaurant and nightclub Aurora.
Sands said the numbers simply didn’t work for a comedy club.
“Having a comedy club is like having a one-screen movie theater in a small town. If people don’t like the movie, they’re not going to go see it,” Sands said. “We’ve got a good loyal base of customers and I love them — they’ve been great. I just wish we had more of them, that we could clone them.”
Sands said there are many hidden costs in running a comedy club. In addition to paying comedians a guarantee and percentage of the door sales, he said he also has to pay for their lodging at hotels and comp them meals. Last year he said those costs added up to about $22,000 for comped meals and $32,000 for hotel rooms.
Prior to the comedy club, the Grace Street space was home to Champion Brewing Co.
He said the $20 to $25 Sandman Comedy Club charges on average for tickets isn’t enough to make the club viable.
“The cost of the comedians has gone up. Their prices are unreasonably high right now because they’re trying to make up for money they lost during COVID. And I get it, they lost money then, but so did we,” Sands said.
“What you end up being is a restaurant/bar that uses comedy to bring people in, which is fine, if they’re coming in. But if not, you’re spending a lot of money to bring people in.”
These factors led Sands to seek a gaming conversion for Sandman. He said charitable gaming is the avenue through which he’s looking to legally host poker tournaments at his new venture.
Charitable gaming is regulated by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) and allows nonprofits to legally host poker and bingo tournaments to raise funds.
Sands said he’s in talks with local charities who’d partner with him on the casino and would be the recipient of money raised at tournaments at his new concept.
Changes to the charitable gaming industry’s regulations have been floated in the General Assembly recently, and more changes may be on the way in the future, however Sands is confident he’ll be able legally hold poker tournaments, particularly because of the state-sanctioned casinos that have opened in Danville and Portsmouth, and are in the works for Norfolk and Bristol.
“The state opened Pandora’s box to allow (Las) Vegas-style casinos to come into the state,” he said. “Once you do that, it’s hard to tell me that I can’t have legal gambling in my facility.”
A state-sanctioned casino also is in play in Richmond, as residents are set to vote later this year on a do-over referendum for Urban One’s proposed $600 million One Casino + Resort on the Southside.
Sands is planning to begin converting the comedy club into its new gambling focus later this month with eyes on an early August reopening.
Another of the region’s comedy clubs, Funny Bone Comedy Club in Short Pump Town Center, has also evolved in the changing industry with a different kind of gaming: the chain recently expanded to add an arcade-bar to its space in the mall.
BTW Champion Brewery is shutting down all operations today
“Their prices are unreasonably high right now…”
Ha…ha!
The cost of comedians has gone up, so we’ve pivoted our concept to serve what the neighborhood really needs, a venue geared towards drinker/gamblers.
Right, because drinking and comedy is much more wholesome 🤔
It’s not a neighborhood bar, it’s a destination venue.
He closed the club due to money issues but is going to put in Queen machines from a company known for excessive lawsuits against those that sign agreements, in a state that the General Assembly still has not established rules or given them legal status to such machines, and a court case still pending (was waiting on the GA) that could rule them illegal and/or keep their ban in place until it goes to the state Supreme Court….and he thinks he will get a charity license while installing the machines the state is fighting as illegal. And on top all… Read more »
No one will go after him because you are correct – the law is still in limbo. The agencies that have legal authority (lottery) are waiting. He may get his grandfather clause…..
Have you been inside any convenience store throughout the Richmond and surrounding counties? The gaming machines are in them all. No different, so why would it be ok for convenient stores and not here?
They aren’t legal under state law as GA banned them even in convenience stores. The legality of that ban is the subject of lawsuits.
We are in VA, not GA. It likely will not get banned, so until then its legal. We have a Lottery, so what is worse? Adults can make their own decisions on how to spend their money. He changed his business model, maybe it will work, maybe it wont, but if allowed other places, why not this one?
The space looks so cool from the outside but the set up inside is a little odd for a restaurant or music venue. The acoustics are also terrible with a super high ceiling and open concept. Always thought a lot of baffles, acoustic panels and maybe even work with a sound engineer were needed int here to make it not suck.
One of my friends in DC struggled for years to keep open his dream which was a comedy club. He resolved his money issue by leasing to a company that managed “alternative adult destinations” and he’s never had to look back nearly 30 years later. It still thrives. There’s a fitting use for every location.