Chris Connelly is selling The Velvet Lounge. In an email almost a month ago to an old listserve that was once used for the venue’s now defunct open bar nights, Connelly announced his plans to move on, and that after three years of searching, he found buyers who “would remain true to our tradition of providing the best sounding small venue on the east coast and perhaps the world and honoring our deals with bands.”

Connelly was reluctant to name the buyers until the official sale is approved by the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration, but City Desk says the new owners will be former Local 16 bartenders­ Abdul Kayoumy and Haile Berhane.

The Velvet Lounge name will stay, as will most everything else. Rob Curtis, the award-winning man behind the boards, will stay on to run sound and book shows with the help of Scott Verastro, who had booked several shows at the now-defunct Warehouse. The ability get live recordings with accompanying hi-def video will also still be available.

Although Connelly plans to spend much of his time in Costa Rica giving surfing and kayaking lessons, he still hopes to stay involved with the Lounge in some capacity and will continue his commitment to D.C. nightlife by offering his services as an adviser and expediter to those who would like to purchase or open their own bars. In his email, Connelly also encouraged patrons to continue to support the Lounge as well as other venues that support musicians and their fans, and to boycott the now-approved Fillmore venue in Silver Spring and the potential D.C. House of Blues.

The new owners’ commitment to rocking out seems evident, as we’ve heard from Curtis that they are also buying the adjoining space with eventual plans to almost double the venue’s size. Curtis adds, “Things are going to only get better.”

We haven’t heard back from Kayoumy yet, but here’s one thing we’d like to suggest they make “better” right away: The Velvet Lounge web site. Not only does it look like it’s straight out of 1997, but it never offers any details on crucial information like show times and prices.

Photo by Eye Captain. Hat tip to Jeffrey Young for the original email.