Mercer Street Dance Hall rebuild on track

When you think of dance halls, you think of that great country sound and boots hitting the floor. Soon, you won’t have to travel far to experience this part of Texas culture.

The new Mercer Street Dance Hall is due to open on RR 12 between Wimberley and Dripping Springs.

The popular dance hall was forced out of its “barn” on Mercer Street in Dripping Springs earlier this year after a dispute with the new landlords. Its new location — 3 1/2 miles from Dripping Springs and about 10 miles from the Wimberley Square — is going up at breakneck speed to be open by Thanksgiving. If you visit now, there’s a bar in an Airstream trailer, a food trailer and a bunch of picnic tables that make up the “Little Mercer Dirt Bar.” Eventually, there will be a modern dance hall that draws from the classic Texas traditions, a taco wagon and four rental cottages. There will be music and dancing as well as weddings and other special events.

The Mercer Street Dance Hall is a true family venture. Nick and Gay Dotin and their daughter Shelby do it all.

When asked who the bartender will be, three hands shoot up. When asked who will be cooking the food, the same three hands shoot up.

Nick spends his days with a tool belt, hammering and supervising. Gay and Shelby help with the construction, funding, interior design and concepts.

The old Mercer Street Dance Hall opened in 2013, but the original landlord died. His heirs had different ideas about the lease, the rent and the uses for the building. The result: the dance hall closed earlier this year.

“It was Shelby’s idea to build a new dance hall,” says Nick, adding, “She’s a great dancer.”

The Dotins owned the property along RR 12 and their home is right above the site of the new dance hall. Eventually, the new Mercer Street Dance Hall will include a 5,000 square foot dance hall and bar, a 1,400 square foot wraparound porch and four rental cabins. The new hall is slightly larger than the old Mercer Street barn.

The Dotins aren’t wasting any time. “Instead of building for two years we are doing it in six months,” says Nick.

There’s a special urgency to the Thanksgiving opening. The Dotins are hosting a Thanksgiving Open House that’s very important to them. “The last five years we have had a Thanksgiving dinner,” explains Nick. “We buy all the food and pay for the band. The first year we had 50-60 people. Now, it’s more like a couple hundred.”

The dinner was originally designed for those who had no where else to go on the holiday, but it has grown over the years. All the Dotins ask is that guests bring an item to donate to the local food bank — and buy a drink or two. “That’s how we help pay for things,” Nick says with a grin.

Shelby, who’s a senior majoring in special education at Texas State, says that members of the community — fans of the old dance hall — have been the key. A GoFundMe campaign has helped raise some of the seed money, and friends and neighbors have helped with construction, as well as ideas and moral support.

There have been challenges. “I think it’s better to be on our own property,” says Gay with a chuckle. “If you are going to go broke we might as well go broke on our own property.”

The Dotins have incorporated a number of features from classic venues such as the stage from Nashville’s iconic Ryman Auditorium and the openness of Gruene Hall. Kevin Herron, from Dripping Springs, was the architect.

The family is especially proud of a few special features.

First, the air conditioning. “We are one of the few dance halls in the nation that has air conditioning. Of course, we are new and modern,” says Nick.

Then there are the bathrooms which be will roomy and clean. When asked who will be cleaning the restrooms, those familiar three hands shoot up again.

Finally, everything is compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act. A dear friend of the Dotins is confined to wheelchair and they wanted to make sure he — and others — had access to all the facilities.

You can drop by now on a weekend night and have a beer and check out the progress. They opened the “Little Mercer Dirt Bar” in the Airstream so they could keep the liquor license current.

Nick, who plays the bass himself and is plugged into the local music scene, has already booked future acts including Austin-based Dale Watson, the band Asleep at the Wheel, and honky tonk specialist Wheldon Henson.

There will be free music on Thursdays and a small cover most other days.

The most important thing — besides the restrooms and the AC — is that it’s a safe environment. “We have a lot of ladies who just like to come here and dance,” says Nick. “And, it’s safe here. We want it to be safe.”