Scott Hayward on stage at Tupelo Music Hall. Photo by Christine Carignan
Since founding Tupelo Music Hall in Londonderry in 2004, Scott Hayward has grown the concert venue from a part-time venture into a sold out hub for nationally renowned entertainers. So when word spread that the Tupelo is scheduled to be moving by the beginning of 2017, it created a buzz.
“Our phones, email and Facebook blew up when people found out,” says Hayward of the $2.6 million project to move the venue to 10 A St. in Derry. “It’s interesting to own a business that so many people are invested in.”
Tupelo is known for drawing diverse acts ranging from rock and pop, to folk and blues, including Arlo Guthrie, Eddie Money, The English Beat, and Living Colour, among many. Tupelo now hosts 210 to 240 shows a year and reached $1.3 million in revenue last year. Additionally, the venue is rented as a function space for about 50 events a year.
Success has come with growing pains. Hayward says all shows are often at capacity and parking has always been a struggle. “We sell out months in advance and people who want to come can’t,” he says. “It's hard to build a business that way.”
For the past two years, Hayward has sought a larger venue that matched the current intimate atmosphere. He finally settled on a 20,000-square-foot former health club about three miles away. Seating is doubled and parking is vastly expanded, with a roughly 500-person capacity and 210 parking spots, compared to 40 spots now. The new location will have a liquor license to serve alcohol and an onsite food service, whereas the Londonderry location had a bring-your-own beverage policy and outsourced catering.
Construction progresses at the new Derry Location. Photo by Christine Carignan
Twelve years ago, Hayward started Tupelo to fill a gap in the local entertainment market. “I asked myself, ‘where can a 40- to 60-year-old go to just see some good music and then go home.’ The only answers were coffeehouses and large performance arts centers,” says Hayward. “The problem is there’s no real profit in coffeehouses, and people that age are tired of going to big venues. They want to see a variety of different artists in an intimate setting.”
Hayward’s aim with the Tupelo was to combine the vibe of a coffee shop with the national programming of a larger spot. Like now, most all seats at the new location will be within 40 feet of the stage to provide a “living room experience.”
Though Hayward originally planned on keeping his full-time job as a financial planner while holding a couple of shows a week, it didn’t take long for the Tupelo to take off. By 2007, he had switched to full time.
“I had to either slow down and do fewer shows or get rid of the suit and tie and embrace what I love doing full time,” he says.
Hayward has worked with Rockingham Economic Development Center in Raymond, Granite State Development Corp. and Enterprise Bank in Derry to plan and finance the project, as well as the Town of Derry.
Construction began in July, and Hayward hopes to open the new Tupelo with a kick-off party on New Year’s Eve. The Londonderry location will remain open until construction is completed.
Hayward will add 12 new jobs at the new Tupelo and says there’s a good chance revenue will double in the venue’s first year. “We can accommodate pretty much anything in this new space,” he says.
For more information, visit tupelohalllondonderry.com or Tupelohall.com.