Mayor Donna Deegan and owners of Decca Live cut a ribbon to open the new entertainment venue on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. | Michelle Corum, Jacksonville Today
Published on January 24, 2025 at 10:51 am
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In what used to be an old hardware store selling supplies for ships, a brick building on Bay Street in Jacksonville has been remastered into a new multilevel music venue called Decca Live.
The owners and the mayor cut a ribbon Thursday celebrating the new entertainment space at 323 Bay St. in the riverfront district Downtown.
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The first floor is an open space and will house the main stage, while the second floor is a mezzanine style layout where patrons can gather on balconies to peer down onto the first floor. Capping it all off is an added rooftop bar with a view of the St. Johns River.
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan called it an amazing venue.
“It fits in perfectly for what we want around the stadium. We want to have amenities where people feel like there’s always something to do. And I think entertainment is a big part of that.”
Deegan said the city invested $1.5 million dollars into the project.
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Decca Live is group-owned by Eric Fuller, Evanc “Evan” Rajita, Aleksander Lukaj and Shawn Rouf. All have connections to Jacksonville and have spent years bringing their venue dream to fruition.
Fuller, a former University of North Florida student, said they wanted it to be a hub for arts and entertainment and they plan to book a variety of performers.
“Anything from country music, rock, dance music, hip hop, we want this to be the live venue for Jacksonville,” he said.
Fuller said the four owners identified a need in the market: a thousand-ticket capacity entertainment space where artists can perform as they’re starting to get popular.
“We need these types of facilities,” said Fuller, who explained the extra considerations that went into construction, including intricately wired sound and a shower added in the green room for performers.
He expects the new enterprise will bring about 100 jobs, from lighting, sound and monitor technicians to security guards.
Decca Live’s official grand opening is set for Jan. 31 and will feature the EDM artist and DJ, “Kaskade.” The owners say it’s already sold out.
