The former owner of downtown Orlando’s arguably smallest venue (other than Hen House on Wall St. Plaza), B. Nice Bar, has just announced the purchase of Team Market Group’s antique lamp bar concept, Ann Teague’s.
B. Nice Bar closed up shop in May 2023 and we told you HERE that the owner, Victoria Nelli, had plans to open a new concept somewhere nearby called, “The Arena.” Though, at the time Nelli could only disclose that it was larger and had air conditioning and a liquor license.
That paperwork has now been signed and the deal was sealed as of December 1. Nelli shared with Bungalower that she would continue to operate the bar as Ann Teague’s for the time being but planned to completely shift to The Arena by early 2024.
“The concept has layers based on my grandparents. My grandfather was a boxing promoter and is in the Boxing Hall of Fame, and my grandmother was a vaudeville dancer. They were both orphans by the age of 15. When they met, my grandfather worked in a diner. He later owned Norm’s Arena Diner and had some other entrepreneurial ventures that led them to a life they never imagined. I’m really proud of their story, so The Arena will incorporate a vaudeville feel with a mix of pop culture and sports history nods on one side of the bar. The other side of the bar will transition to a shiny disco, Andy Warhol’s Factory, kind of energy. One window will have a boxing ring stage, and the other will have audio and podcast equipment.”
– VICTORIA NELLI, OWNER, THE ARENA
Nelli also shared that she is planning to have a lamp sale in early February to get rid of all of the inventory left over from the previous concept. Ann Teague’s Lamp Supply opened for business in September 2020 under Team Market Group, the parent company of The Robinson Room, Mather’s Social Gathering, and Primrose Lanes. At the time of the opening, guests could bring in antique lamps to have them restored at the bar, and the space was filled with them, as evidenced in this video below.
Ann Teague’s/The Arena is located at 22 S. Magnolia Avenue [GMap] in downtown Orlando.
