The owner of the nightclub where Michael Jackson first performed professionally with the Jackson 5 wants to sell the building to fans of the King of Pop brick by brick.

Andrew Young, a businessman in Gary, Indiana – the Jacksons’ hometown – said he bought the now shuttered “Mr. Lucky’s Lounge” one year ago, with the idea of revitalizing it.

That plan has changed since the international pop icon’s death last week.

“If we have enough interest, we will take it apart by hand, piece by piece, being very careful to preserve every single thing,” Young said on Friday.

Steeltown Records founder Gordon Keith, who first signed the Jackson 5, has confirmed that Mr. Lucky’s was the first club the Jackson 5 hit after winning a city-wide talent contest in Gary.

The gritty steel town is located 16 kilometers southeast of Chicago.

“This is how it all started,” Young said, “back then you had to have talent and claw your way up from the bottom.”

Young is now in the process of starting up a website where interested bidders can view some of the memorabilia.

Mr. Lucky’s closed a couple of years ago and is now a decrepit, red brick building with boarded up windows and steel poles holding up its overhang.

Inside is a hardwood stage that Young says is the same one the Jackson 5 first performed on.

Photos of the Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson from the “Thriller” era surround the bar and records and record jackets are nailed to the walls.

It is just a stone’s throw from the Jackson family home at 2300 Jackson Street.

Since the 50-year-old Jackson was pronounced dead over a week ago, sales of his recordings have once again taken off and the value of Jackson memorabilia has skyrocketed.

Jackson’s father, a steelworker, formed the Jackson 5 in 1964. The family left Gary for good when Michael was 11 years old after signing a record contract with Motown Records.

Jackson had only returned to the town a couple of times, once when he received the key to the city and when he promised to establish a still unbuilt performing arts center.

Often than not, people confuse porcelain and china. Porcelain is commonly called china as this is where the material originated.

One type of porcelain is the bone china, which was created and perfected by Englishman Josiah Spode II in 1800. Bone china comes from actual bones of animals, fired at temperatures reaching to 1,000 degrees and then pulverized. The resulting ash is mixed with water and clay additives to come up with a wide range of ceramic wares, furnishings and decor. Materials made of bone ash are highly valued for their intrinsic qualities. Such qualities make the bone china rare and as Filipino entrepreneur Clemente Manrique Jr. and owner of CSM International Corporation, an exporter of decorative porcelain, home furnishings and holiday décor, would ascertain, “bone china commands a very high quality standard and is the most difficult ceramic to work with.”

Bone china possesses qualities such as ivory whiteness, translucency, durability and fineness making it synonymous to affluence and royalty attested by tradition. Not everybody can work with genuine bone china, most of it is done in England and few European countries but CSM general manager Manrique says that what makes their products unique is it is “genuinely handmade.”

Having an extensive experience in the ceramic industry along with business contacts both local and foreign established the family-owned business. “I was out of job after being an overseas Filipino worker for five years in Saudi Arabia and my age was already a hindrance in getting employed,” Manrique relates.

Now, they export their products worldwide with “anyone who can buy in volume be it wholesalers and retail stores.” Normally, one could expect ceramic plates and figurines but CSM maximized the use of bone china progressing into products that are truly unique and extraordinary. Their products made of bone china are formed into flowers like orchids, bamboo vases with birds, night light figurines and tea light candleholders, and various Christmas decor. Except for the flowers that are hand-painted, all CSM products are plain ivory white.

Asked what the company’s marketing style is, Manrique replied: “It’s a personal approach, knowing the buyers in a personal level, introducing the company and the products well. Participating in trade shows attract more buyers and improve visibility abroad.”

At Manila F.A.M.E. International April 2009 edition, CSM showcased its world-class bone china products. “Although we are hit by the economic crisis, we plan to survive by maintaining the high degree of quality standard for bone china items,” he said.

Source:www.philstar.com- Modern Living

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