Lorem Ipsum Listening Bar Hits Its Stride on Central
Justin Hazelton puts a piece of himself into low-key passion project
Most designers and journalists will recognize the term “lorem ipsum” as dummy text, placed in a space to act as a placeholder while having no specific meaning. For Justin Hazelton, however, it means everything.
Opened by Hazelton in November 2023, Lorem Ipsum Listening Bar provides a third space just outside Plaza Midwood where patrons can enjoy a cocktail in a laidback space dedicated to music. It’s a fitting name, as the space started as a placeholder itself — a cocktail pop-up located in The Refuge, a boutique hotel on Central Avenue, that has become a permanent fixture among music fans looking for a spot to kick back and catch a vibe.
“The definition of lorem ipsum is a dummy text or filler text to not distract from the sum of the creation,” Hazelton told Queen City Nerve. “And I thought that’s exactly what I needed, what this is. I saw a light went off and I said, ‘This is called Lorem Ipsum.’ Everybody will be like, ‘I seen that somewhere.’”
Touted as the first listening bar in Charlotte when it opened, Hazelton described the concept as akin to a nail bar or snack bar — but for music. The small space includes a cocktail bar in the corner at the entrance and a DJ booth in the far corner, with comfortable lounge seating a few tables spread between.
“It’s a bar, an area in which you can listen to music, and of course you still have all the beverages in here,” he said. “But the truth is, we’re trying to focus on the listening experience. We take up a formidable amount of space in here just for the DJ.”
The lounge is not to be confused with your average bar, live venue or nightclub.
“It’s focused; it’s intentional,” Hazelton explained. “In a lot of ways, it’s very comfortable. We want to listen to music. We’re looking for a level of comfort and connection and a communal space.”
Since becoming a mixologist, the idea of his own space had been in the back of his mind. He didn’t want to manage the logistics of a running club, however, just something that could play to his passion for good music and a chill space.
“It has to be authentic,” he said. “At this part of my life and career, I needed things that make sense to me … I like chilling, I like lounging. Also, I like music, and I love not just top 40 but I like going deep into music. I would love to hear it in its best form. I want a cocktail in its crispest way. I want a cocktail that’s shaking and it’s still sizzling when it’s in front of me.”
Hazelton said he hasn’t ruled out opening a more traditional club at some point in the future, but with Lorem Ipsum hitting its stride and seeing success in its first two years, he’s in no rush to kill the vibe he’s created in east Charlotte.
A tough decision to switch careers pays off
Hazelton, who built a name as one of Charlotte’s best mixologists as bar manager at Leah & Louise, did not originally envision a career path in hospitality. He studied cardiovascular technology at UNC Charlotte with plans to pursue a career in noninvasive cardiology.
As an 18-year-old student, he was already working in hospitals while not in class. The experience affected him greatly.
“I saw all the crazy stuff and I saw a lot of death,” he said. “I saw a lot of things that just brought me out from wanting to be in that industry, even though I have a lot of respect for it and I know it pretty well. I knew I didn’t love it, I didn’t care about it.”
Witnessing all the trauma that takes place in emergency rooms and intensive care units by night while keeping up with a regular class load during the day and taking shifts at restaurants over the weekend to pay the bills quickly led to burnout.
Hazelton made the difficult decision to quit school and leave the medical industry.
After leaving health care, he leaned more heavily into the restaurant industry. He was good at it and, best of all, he didn’t take any of the stress of bartending home with him like he had when he left the hospital.
Still, Hazelton had so strongly identified as a medical worker that losing that part of himself left him feeling lost. He bounced around different culinary establishments, working in airport lounges, Olive Garden and other restaurants before his experience with bartending.
“In that lost phase, the only way I was taking care of myself and getting better at anything was in the service industry,” he said. “Then finally, I ran into the bar. I finally got an opportunity to get behind a bar and that’s when I fell in love.”
He worked at Sophia’s Lounge before linking with Subrina and Greg Collier, founders of Bayhaven Restaurant Group, working as a mixologist with the couple’s Soul Food Sessions, beverage director for the BayHaven Food and Wine Festival, and as bar manager at the since-closed Leah & Louise location at Camp North End.
When Hazelton realized that this was the type of service he was meant to do, he described the feeling as “fireworks.”
Catch a vibe
When Hazelton broke off on his own to open Lorem Ipsum, he was intentional in its design, mixing in aspects of all his different passions.
“I don’t want it like [TGI] Fridays,” he said. “This is a true expression of who I am. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing because I can see it getting too personal, but Lorem Ipsum was like me throwing up all over the place.”
The metaphor sounds messy, but the listening bar is anything but.
Hazelton’s “love letter to Charlotte,” as he described it, was inspired by jazz listening bars prominently featured in Japan that Black veterans frequented during the war. There are visuals projecting onto the walls so attendees have something to look at while they enjoy the tunes.
Read more: Orosoko Sound Bar Provides a New Concept in South End (2024)
There is a story to tell here, said Hazelton, a “concept of a vibe,” which in itself is a visceral thing that can feel beyond words.
“A vibe is very hard to fully describe unless you’re in it,” he said. “I own this place and I’m here constantly and it’s still like, ‘Yo, this vibe is crazy in here.’ It’s just an amazing mixture of all these fits and elements and they’re all being done at a high level of good standard. It’s not dropping below that standard.
“I don’t think we’re asking for too much,” he continued. “Someone just needs to say, ‘Okay, give me a good drink in good style, give me a good sound, give me a good space’ … If that’s what we’re doing, the rest is history.”
Best songs to vibe to
We asked Justin Hazelton what the five best tracks are that he would put on to enjoy a fresh cocktail in his listening bar.
“I like the journey it takes you on. I like the message of it. It’s still dope.”
“Amazing.
“Everybody Loves the Sunshine” – Roy Ayers
St. Elmo’s Fire – Michael Franks
“That’s a very dope, melancholy song, but it’s just an amazing vibe to that song.”
