San Antonio rock club White Rabbit to be sold

Chino Moreno and Team Sleep play the White Rabbit.

Chino Moreno and Team Sleep play the White Rabbit. Photo: EDWARD ORNELAS, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS Photo: EDWARD ORNELAS, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close San Antonio rock club White Rabbit to be sold 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO — The White Rabbit, one of the city's most popular live music venues, is being sold to an ownership group led by restaurant owner and real estate developer Chad Carey.

Venue owner Rick Sciaraffa confirmed the impending sale on Thursday. He would not discuss price or other details of the sale, citing a non-disclosure agreement. Sciaraffa said the club continues as a live music venue and that the White Rabbit remains open and is still booking shows.

The White Rabbit, 2410 N St. Mary's St., has been a go-to venue for rising rock and rap acts since it was opened in 1996 by Rick Sciaraffa Jr. The Black Crowes and Creed played there in the mid-1990s, while recent acts include the Shins, Cage the Elephant and hip-hop stars Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q.

“I've had other offers to buy the place but didn't feel comfortable with anyone else,” Sciaraffa said. “We've been assured that the name and the feel of the place will stay the same.”

Carey said that his group is under contract to purchase the venue, but he could not elaborate on any specifics until the venue is sold.

“Our intention is that it will continue to be a live music venue,” he said.

Carey's group owns restaurants Hot Joy — recently named one of the nation's best new restaurants by Bon Appetit — The Monterey and Barbaro, along with other real estate ventures.

The Sciaraffa family has owned The White Rabbit since 1996, when Rick Sciaraffa Jr. purchased the building that was formerly Joseph's Foodliner.

Rick Sciaraffa and his wife, Rhonda, have managed the building since 2007, when his son Rick Jr. died.

The club, with a 1,484 capacity, sits on a 2.3-acre lot where a pizza place also is located.

lchan@express-news.net

Twitter: @lornechan