When pool player Martin McIntosh decided to take a gamble on opening a new Aberdeen bar, he picked the perfect business partner bring his plans to life.
Martin and his mum Lesley, who he loved going to shows and concerts with, together formed the idea of a unique restaurant and events venue.
And it would be one with quite a difference, which Aberdeen has never seen the likes of before.
They had begun scouting possible premises when tragedy struck last March.
Martin’s life was turned upside down when Lesley suddenly died.
But rather than shelving his bold ambitions, this made him more determined to make them a reality. He would be doing it for his mum.
And now, Martin is preparing to reopen the former Assembly on Skene Terrace as Martinis – breathing new life into a city centre building closed for five years.
The former Scotland captain is looking to bring a taste of Broadway to the Granite City, with his revamp of the former music venue and nightclub.
Inspired by clips of the Big Apple’s bustling diners, visitors will be able to take in dinner and a show at the same time.
I met up with the budding proprietor at the new venue, and heard the story of how it came about, including:
- His switch from racking up balls to putting on stage shows
- Why he will be “doing it for his mum”
- And the extent of the work needed to revive the venue, which “looked like a swimming pool” when he took the keys
Who is Martin McIntosh?
Martin is far from your average bar owner, with his background as an international pool player.
The 36-year-old has captained Scotland at the highest level in the sport, and has played alongside the likes of 1985 snooker world champion Dennis Taylor.
But his skills extend beyond just playing the game; he owns his own company supplying custom-made pool tables to clientele including football legend David Ginola.
Martinis is a far cry from the world of pool, Martin has been getting a lot of surprised looks when he tells people what he’s up to.
The father-of-four chuckles: “I still play pool for Scotland, so everyone expected this to be a pool or snooker club… Which it’s not.”
So what exactly will Martini’s be like then?
Martin, an avid fan of live music and stage shows, promises that this new venue will be quite a production.
He tells me the idea came to him when he stumbled across a video on social media of the world-famous Ellen’s Stardust Diner in New York.
It was a lightbulb moment.
The venue is known for its singing waiting staff, with queues often stretching around the block to get a piece of the action.
Martin recalls: “I just thought how different it was, and that there is nothing like it here or in Aberdeen – or even in Scotland.
“The hype for it is amazing with people queuing up to get in the door just to see it, I thought ‘why can we not have that here?'”
‘When my mum died, I wanted to do it more so for her’
The new Skene Terrace venue, just off Rosemount Viaduct, has been in the works for years – but Martin’s plans took a tragic twist last year.
The former offshore engineer explains: “It was actually my mum who helped me with the idea.
“She was going to go into the business with me.”
The very close pair had already been eyeing up various empty Aberdeen units for the venture, looking forward to embarking on this project side by side.
“We looked at getting a place at one of the units down by the beach,” Martin recalls with a sigh.
“But then my mum sadly passed away suddenly.”
While dealing with the shock and trauma of Lesley’s sudden passing, Martin resolved not to let their combined dream fall by the wayside.
Quite the opposite.
“That made me want to do it even more so, for her,” he adds, determination in his voice.
It was at this point that things began to fall into place – and he spotted the ideal location.
“I then came across The Assembly, and with the theatre across the road and the Music Hall around the corner, I thought it was the perfect place.”
It will still be a family affair, with Martin’s wife Danielle helping to run the operation.
What will new Aberdeen bar Martinis feature?
Martin’s bold ambitions for his new venue will bring something unique to Aberdeen’s nightlife.
Taking inspiration from New York’s Broadway, a variety of singers and performers will be on hand to entertain guests on the stage there.
Martin revealed: “We’ve hired a group of singers, most of them have experience on the West End.
“We’ve got a variety of singers to cover everything but they’re all professional singers.”
With a chuckle, he adds: “There’s nobody just off the street or anything.”
But it’s not just a taste of Broadway that Martinis is offering, as Martin tells me the venue is all kitted out for sports events, with what he claims is the “largest screen in Aberdeen”.
Martin continues: “We’ve got all the shows coming in as well. We’re going to have comedy nights, sports nights.
“We’ve been offered one of the PDC darts events already.
“We’re going to do weddings as well, just whatever fits in here and looks right, we’ll do it.”
‘When we moved in, the back was like a swimming pool’
Martin is hoping to open his new venture on Friday, December 13, and whilst there is still work to do before the big day, it has come a long way since he first got the keys.
Looking around the spruced up interior, he reminisces: “The building was basically collapsed when we came in, and we had to rebuild it.
“We went away for a couple of months and when we came back there had been torrential rain.
“The back of the building was honestly like a swimming pool, filled with water, so it had to get rebuilt more than I had thought.
“Thankfully the landlord was really good with us, he was really helpful.”
Martinis moving into a storied Aberdeen venue
The new Martinis will occupy a historic venue in Aberdeen city centre, which has played host to an array of famous faces.
Built in 1897 as a union hall, the building became the Picturedrome cinema in 1910.
The venue screened the latest hits up until 1971, when it was converted into a bingo club and later a bar and nightclub known as The Forum.
In 2016, the Skene Terrace venue became The Assembly, hosting gigs for the likes of John Lydon (better known as Johnny Rotten) and the Vengaboys.
But three years later, it closed its doors due to financial struggles, and remained empty ever since.
The more Martin has worked on his new bar, the more he has learned about the building’s history.
He admits: “I honestly didn’t have much of a clue about its history when I came in.
“The amount of people coming off the street and through those doors is amazing.”
He continued: “We had an old lady come in and tell us this was the first ever cinema she visited, and I was just like ‘wow!’
“Then the next person came in and told us they had got married in here!
“The building has got all this great history, so everyone is raving about it.”
Martinis Aberdeen hoping to prove the doubters wrong
Martin is hoping his new venue will be a hit.
Do you think Martinis’ combination of meals and entertainment will be a recipe for success? Let us know in our comments section below
The budding bar owner beams: “Martinis is just completely different isn’t it.
“There’s nothing like this; it’s not just a pub or a club.
“As longs as people are speaking about it everywhere and coming in and supporting it, then I’d call it a success.
“I’d like to thank everybody that has helped me do it, because I was written off from so many people who said that I wouldn’t pull it off, but I’m here now.”
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