LAWRENCE — The owner of Vegas Lounge & Bar in Indianapolis has opened a second Las Vegas-themed club.
MGM Lounge & Bar is now open in the building formerly known as Eddy's Sports Pub, located at 9105 E. 56th St., in Lawrence.
Tanya Davis, the owner of Vegas Lounge & Bar on Broad Ripple Avenue, is running MGM alongside her business partner, Jaquita Savage.
As residents of the east side, Davis and Savage both knew that together they wanted to open a bar catering to the Lawrence area. They just didn't know it would happen only three months after the doors of Vegas Lounge & Bar first opened.
"The opportunity fell in our laps," Davis told WRTV. "We knew of this establishment for many years. We've been here before," she continued, "(It's a) great area. Great customers. Great customer service, employees—we just couldn't pass this up."
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Patrons of Eddy's shouldn't notice a significant change in operation or decor.
A longtime bartender of the sports pub will still be roaming the new MGM bar, the local VFW will continue having weekly meetings in its private event space, and there will still be games and sports coverage on all of the TVs.
Although Davis and Savage fully intend on keeping the sports bar format intact, the owners say they will also be bringing more of a Vegas vibe to the space.
"It's going to be a 'Cheers' meets the 'Bellagio,'" Davis said, describing the eventual evolution of MGM. "There is going to be a new coat of paint. Maybe some new fixtures or new furnishings. We want to make it, again, the same neighborhood bar it's always been."
Aside from new appearances, MGM will also be bringing in a new "fusion bar" menu, similar to that of Vegas Lounge & Bar. Plus, it will be hosting events.
MGM's first event in a few weeks, "Love Connect," calls on local singles ready to mingle. The inclusive series of matchmaking will be announced soon on Vegas Lounge & Bar's Instagram page.
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WRTV Digital Reporter Shakkira Harris can be reached at shakkira.harris@wrtv.com. You can follow her on Twitter, @shakkirasays.
