The Rebel Lounge in Phoenix gets creative to reopen during coronavirus pandemic

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The Rebel Lounge in central Phoenix is turning the tables on the coronavirus.

It reopened on Oct. 24, but with a new business model to match the times: going from concerts to coffee.

For the first time in nearly seven months, customers are back at the Rebel Lounge near 24th Street and Indian School Road.

"Today's been great. We've had a pretty solid crowd in and out all day," said owner Stephen Chilton.

But it's not just the Rebel Lounge anymore, which used to be open at night.

Now by day, it also serves as the Reap and Sow coffee shop.

"Think how we can come back without shows 'cause our whole business model was doing shows," said Chilton.

The owner of Reap and Sow, Lance Linderman, says he has been bugging Chilton to include the dayside coffee shop for about a year.

"Once COVID hit, it finally made sense for them, so they called and said, hey, okay, we're ready to do it."

It took about three months of planning to pull this off. The space itself hasn't changed all too much, but the menu has.

"We've added their menu burritos, pastries, obviously added their coffee," said Chilton.

Chilton says at this point, he's not sure when their concerts will start back up again, but he's hopeful that this new partnership will bring some life back to the area.

The Rebel Lounge | Reap and Sow Coffee Bar
2303 E. Indian School Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85016
602-296-7013
therebellounge.com