A KEYE TV news report says that the deal brokered between the Broken Spoke dancehall on S. Lamar and the developer of the two adjacent mixed-use apartment buildings on either side of the legendary Austin nightspot to keep it there and dancing away may be rendered moot by problems stemming from the construction that are hurting its business. Due to the Spoke’s now-greatly-reduced parking, nightly attendance has dropped from 400-600 patrons to 200-300, adversely affecting the income of musicians who play there and the tip income of bartenders and waitpersons. The site clearing process has also been rattling the walls of the nearly 50-year-old structure and cracks have appeared in the dancefloor. Although Transwestern and Spoke owner James White had struck a deal for a 20-year lease for the honky-tonk to remain at its locale (the land was purchased by the developers), employees and musicians fear the club’s business may not weather the downturn for the two years it will take until the new buildings are completed.
