The Melvin has left the building
Longtime Inner Loop drinking spot and patio haunt announces last call
Pour one out for a Houston drinking destination. The Velvet Melvin will close after service on Saturday, May 21, the bar announced on Facebook.
Known for its better than expected pizza and spacious patio, the Velvet Melvin has served as a reliable neighborhood watering hole for residents and office workers in the Upper Kirby and Greenway Plaza areas. Specials like steak night and trivia night drew consistent crowds. Essentially, it's the sort of places friends could gather to watch a football game or play pool while sipping a cold beer or a simple cocktail.
"It's really laid back, everybody is really friendly, most of the people you see in here are repeat customers," bartender Katie Statlander told the Houston Press in 2009. "We have the same clientele pretty much every day, so it's nice."
Long-time Houstonians will recall the bar's original name as The Velvet Elvis. Founder Barry Capece successfully fought off a lawsuit by Elvis Presley Enterprises that alleged trademark infringement. U.S. District Judge Vanessa D. Gilmore ruled the bar's name and painting of the King of Rock and Roll constituted a parody, according to media reports at the time.
"We're a cheesy place intentionally," Capece told the Chicago Tribune in 1996. "Elvis Presley has a reputation for having bad taste and not knowing about it, and this place plays on that."
Once the bar closes, it will be up to nearby establishments like Cellar Bar, Lizzard's Pub, and the Marquis II to provide the area with casual, come-as-you-are watering holes.
