Conversion to include full-service restaurant

By Lloyd Garrison

It took two days for four moving vans and a flat bed truck to haul away all the costumes, props and personal effects belonging to Greenwoods Associates LLC. Once Infinity Hall was finally emptied out on September 6, owner Dan Hincks was free to jumpstart sweeping renovations that he hopes will lead to an opening night gala shortly after the New Year.

Award-winning architect Ray Sevigny, who remodeled the Warner Theater in Torrington, has been retained to design a full-service restaurant, which will entail gutting the building’s ground floor retail and office space. Sevigny will also preside over a major updating of the lighting and sound system in the second floor theater.

Hincks had originally intended to offer only a café serving soup, salads and light fare. His decision to create a restaurant is part of a broader vision of making Infinity Hall a centerpiece for both eclectic entertainment and dining out in the northwest corner. A search is under way for a chef to oversee the kitchen. Meanwhile, Hinck’s brother, Andrew, has signed on as Facility Manager.

Additionally, Hincks has retained Susan Rubinsky & Co., a New Haven public relations firm, to mount a marketing campaign to build audience support for the appearance of as many as three different performers a week. “While we will be using the mass media,” says Drew Talbot, a veteran publicist with the firm, “our main focus will be on internet marketing.”

The unusual reliance on the internet reflects Hinck’s belief that the concentration of the music industry in a few corporate hands can now be challenged by using the web to promote new performers appearing in smaller, more intimate settings.

“The live music business has definitely evolved from an organic one to a corporate one,” says Hincks, “offering only large venues and skyrocketing ticket prices. But there are many examples of consumer pushback, such as the success of the iPod, Facebook, the decline in time spent listening to corporate-controlled radio and the nosedive of CD sales, just to name a few. With the formulaic programming practiced by corporate promoters and

radio groups, it is almost impossible for fresh new talent to break through. These are the performers we want to work with.”