When Josh Billue and then co-owner Chris Cobb opened The Signal on Chestnut Street in 2018, it was "about getting a room open in Chattanooga."
Billue told the Times Free Press on Wednesday in a telephone interview that moving the concert and event venue into the former Chattanooga Choo Choo Convention Center space "is about putting us where we want to be in 20 years."
Billue announced Wednesday that The Signal will move with a reopening target date of April 2023. He said the move gives the business more options and a chance to benefit from things they've learned over the years not only while operating here, but in other parts of the country.
Since 2018, The Signal has hosted dozens of concerts and events each year, such as corporate dinners and luncheons or weddings, but it hasn't been able to host both at the same time. With the move to the Choo Choo, Billue said the venue will be able to host a dinner party in one space and a live show in another, and improvements can be made to the spaces based on lessons learned over the years in other venues Billue has opened in St. Louis, Missouri; Little Rock, Arkansas; Kansas City, Missouri; Nashville and soon in Jacksonville, Florida.
"Honestly, the music part of it was pretty good, but the events were not perfect," Billue said of the Chestnut Street space. "It was our second build. It was an OK room, but we thought we could do better. This gives us a chance to start fresh, but also to have two spaces. A concert space and a hybrid space.
"And, it doesn't hurt having a Chattanooga Choo Choo address."
The Choo Choo complex was sold for $3.7 million recently by the Choo Choo ownership group and is undergoing a major renovation. The new Signal space is currently owned by brothers Garrison and Steven Summersell, and according to a news release, the new owners believe The Signal will be a boost to the community as a whole.
The brothers said in the release that they were looking forward to more live music and events for the Chattanooga area.
Billue said the timing for the move seems right with the Barrelhouse Ballroom opening earlier this year a few blocks away on Main Street. It has a capacity of about 500 people, while the new Signal space can hold up to 1,400 people. He said it is important for people like himself and Barrelhouse owner Mike Monen to work together to complement each other.
"Mike is great," Billue said. "I want every venue to do well, and so does he. He understands that bands come up and bands come down. The best way to get them to play the market is to have a place for them to play."
Jeff Cannon of Tucker Build will manage the construction of the 20,000 square foot project.
"The space is absolutely perfect for The Signal," Cannon said in the release. "Soon Chattanooga will see just what a major improvement it is for live events in the downtown area."
The last event at the current location will be a concert by Mitchell Tenpenny on Feb. 18. Billue said The Signal is already underway with booking acts for its concert hall in the new location, and that he is also pushing promoters to consider other venues like Barrelhouse until then.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354. Follow him on Twitter @BarryJC.