Less than a year after launching its first venue in Melbourne, Odd Culture Group has announced it has on-sold the Victorian venture in the pursuit of major expansion back home.
James Thorpe’s group announced the new endeavour – Odd Culture Fitzroy – on Melbourne’s legendary Brunswick Street, in Fitzroy, in March 2023.
It opened in July, in a partnership with local hospitality veteran and Fitzroy resident Gerry Nass, who took the role of general manager.
Nass has now bought out Thorpe’s share in the venue and will continue to operate it, adopting the new name of Good Liquor and & Wine.
All staff members will be staying on in their roles, and trade will begin under the new name from Monday, 6 May.
Odd Culture has five venues on the books in Sydney, including The Old Fitzroy Hotel, The Duke of Enmore, SPON wine bar, the most recent addition, late-night cocktail bar and music haunt Pleasure Club, and the original oddity, Odd Culture Newtown, which is now in its third year of operation.
In keeping with the group’s focus on diverse, late-night experiences, Odd Culture Newtown has recently extended trading hours until 1am, hosting DJs on Friday and Saturday nights, and cites plans to extend until 2am very soon.
The group employs a ‘concept-first’ philosophy based in creating spaces that embody the principles of genuine hospitality, are “welcoming and thoughtful” and represent community, with no pokies. It aims to be a disruptive force for good in the industry, creating community-focused venues and fostering engagement with the live arts and performance industries.
Odd Culture reports the withdrawal from Melbourne was not something anticipated, but it comes in the wake of ambitious expansion plans this year, prompting a hunt for a new group GM.
“Between our plans to double our footprint in Sydney, and Gerry’s incredible investment and connection with the Fitzroy venue, this became an obvious, albeit difficult, decision for us to take,” explains OCG CEO James Thorpe.
“We need to keep our focus on this side of the border to deliver the incredible projects we have planned over the next year.”
