Over the past 20 years, Winston-Salem’s urban core has undergone significant transformation, marked by the addition of new housing, restaurants, and cultural institutions, as well as a substantial amount of vacant office space. Now, two business leaders want to add a privately financed 5,000-seat amphitheater to draw about 30 entertainment acts to the Twin City, as soon as next year.
In early September, City Council approved a five-year lease for a 1-acre parcel across Sixth Street from a site owned by Flow Automotive CEO Don Flow. That approval provides staging space essential for the venue. The main site is a 2-acre block controlled
by Flow, whose company owns 45 automotive dealerships.
His partner on the project is Jim Brammer, CEO of Mocksville-based Concert Stuff Group, which produces more than 1,000 live events annually worldwide.
Supporting downtown Winston-Salem is a priority for Flow. He purchased the former GMAC tower at 500 W. Fifth St. for $6 million in 2017, spent $10 million to renovate, and transformed the vacant building into a multi-tenant hub. It is a block from the amphitheater site.
“Winston-Salem, in the last 20 or 30 years, has spent way too much time lamenting what once was, instead of trying to imagine what could be,” Flow told the Winston-Salem Journal. “This amphitheater is all about creating that energy and vibrancy.”
Brammer started in Winston-Salem before expanding globally, and has produced events for Garth Brooks, Beyonce’ and other artists.
While venues of similar size operate in Charlotte, Raleigh and most major cities, Brammer says Winston-Salem has no equivalent space to attract mid-sized touring acts such as Brad Paisley and Darius Rucker. “There’s an entire ecosystem of 5,000-seat venues around the country, and artists that play those and do very well.”
There are no tax incentives tied to the project. Flow says he tried to buy the city-owned land, but was told a lease was the only option. City Council approved a $1 per month contract, signaling its support. The project is expected to attract 150,000 visitors annually and generate $50,000 in property tax revenue.
Council members Barbara Burke and Scott Andree-Bowen voted against the lease, citing concerns from residents of the city-owned Crystal Towers apartment building adjacent to the site. It includes many elderly residents on fixed incomes. Project organizers agreed to meet with residents in September.
The amphitheater is likely to lead to a revised city noise ordinance that will establish decibel thresholds, Assistant City Manager Ben Rowe says. Concerts will have to end
by 11 p.m.
Event-day operations will be led by Bucky Dame, who previously oversaw the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which is owned by Wake Forest University. Parking would rely on nearby decks and surface lots that are rarely used at night.
“Every city in America would like for Jim [Brammer] to invest his time, talent, relationships, and capital in their community,” Flow told the Triad Business Journal. “When you combine that with the criticism we hear — that Winston-Salem doesn’t have enough for young people to do — you begin to see why this project makes sense.”
Brammer believes the timing is right. “Winston-Salem has always had this arts and music vibe, and it seems like we just kind of let it get a little dull over the last decade or so,” he told the paper. “I think this is a great way to reinvigorate it.”■
-Brad King is a Winston-Salem-based writer