Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Geo C and Tha Store

By Katie Libecco

YOUNGSTOWN – Geo’s Music has moved to a new downtown location, 534 Mahoning Ave., completing a circle in owner George Case’s life.

The music store was located on Federal Plaza for 12 years, but is now in the B&O Station Boxcar Lounge. The new location houses the music store on the second floor with an extensive variety of CDs, DVDs, VHS and LPs.

“We wanted to open up opportunities where they weren’t available. Our Federal Street location wasn’t enabling us,” Case said.

He said parking and construction were two large issues that stopped Geo’s Music from trying new things. Additionally, he said he was attracted to the new facility because it included a stage.

The new location for Geo’s Music is more than a store. In fact, customers have to walk through the café and lounge to get to the music store. Case is now the owner and operator of the bar and restaurant in the Boxcar Lounge, and is also booking acts for their outdoor stage.

Case said the food will mostly be Italian, but will also have vegetarian dishes and nightly specials. There’s also plans for deli-style lunch specials.

There’s several televisions, which Case was enthusiastic to point out would be showing games and races inside, and out at the second bar on the Boxcar Lounge’s patio.

“I’m proud to be located downtown. I wanted to get back into food; go back, full circle, to what I had known how to do,” he said.

Before he opened Geo’s Music, he worked for Antones and owned Geo’s, an Italian café on Elm Street. According to Case, he also ran the kitchen at Rosie’s Place in Chagrin Falls and a kitchen at a golf course.

But he was always interested in music, including starting local band Geo C and Tha Storm in 2003. The new Boxcar Lounge location will also serve as a headquarters for the band.

Case said the stage will be for Geo C and The Storm, as well as other bands, like classic rock cover band Knucklehead, who’s slated to perform May 22.

Weekly events from last season will continue with Case as the owner, including Bike Nights on Thursday. There’s also a beer school, which Case described as “a real treat.”

For $12, guests can sample three beers from around the world and learn about them. Case said a representative from The Pumphouse in Struthers, a homebrewing equipment supplier, teaches the class every other Wednesday night.

On May 29, Case will celebrate his 39th birthday with a performance of Geo C and Tha Storm on the Boxcar Lounge’s outside stage.

Other shows and events will be promoted on the Boxcar Lounge and café’s new Web site, theboxcarlounge.com.

Geo’s Music hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Wednesday, 11 a.m. - 1 a.m. Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday and closed on Sundays.