A drag bar and eatery is planning to open later this year in Five Points South at the site of a deadly mass shooting last September.

Opulence Drag Lounge & Taqueria on Magnolia Avenue will be located at the former site of the Hush Lounge, where a September 2024 mass shooting left four people dead and at least 17 injured on the sidewalk outside.

Scott Charby and his business partner Wade Brooks are hoping to open in time for Pride Month in June. The club is currently being remodeled.

Opulence will be a taco bar from 10 a.m. through 7 p.m., with drag entertainment through the evening, and a full-service bar and dinner menu through the night. The owners also intend to host drag brunches on Saturday and Sunday.

Opulence will have a capacity of roughly 160 to 180 people.

“We wanted to make sure we had a good restaurant menu,” Charby said.

“We’ll have early shows and later night shows as well. We really want to be inclusive to all types of drag, all LGBTQ community people and allies, as well as people who are just looking for good entertainment.”

That means celebrity impersonators, celebrity entertainers, group performers and a wide variety of different styles of drag.

“And even non-drag,” he said. “As long as it works and is respectful and it’s inclusive, we’ll be happy to look at it. Obviously, it won’t all fit but we really want to be involved with any possible group that wants to be involved with us as well.”

Hush Lounge and the nearby Sleek Sports Bar closed in December. The nightspot, known for its hookah, bottle service, parties, and DJs had just celebrated its fifth-year anniversary last June.

But the shooting claimed the lives of Carlos McCain, 27, Roderick Lynn Patterson Jr., 26, Anitra Holloman, 21, and Tahj Booker, 27.

Damien Laron McDaniel III, 22, charged with killing 14 people and wounding 30 others over a span of 14 months, was the only person charged in the Hush case until last week.

Ny’Quan Lollar, 22, and Crishawn Ja’mel McLemore-Bruce, 23, are charged with capital murder of two or more people, and with 17 counts of first-degree assault for those who were injured.

Charby said there was some trepidation about opening at the scene of the deadly shooting.

But he was interested in contributing to the revitalization of the Five Points area. The owners also plan on several security measures for the lounge.

Connor Sanburn, Five Points South district manager for REV Birmingham, the addition of Opulence to Pickwick Place and Five Points South is important. Sauce and Suds is also expected to open soon on 20th Street South.

“The owner has already done a great job to get to know the people around him,” Sanburn said.

“Everyone’s very excited for something like this to go in there. We’re excited to see new businesses coming to Five Points. We’ve still got work to do, but this is just one stepping stone to continued recovery.”

Charby said he has spent several weeks meeting with neighboring businesses.

“We want to be a part of the community,” Charby said.

“We knew we wanted to be downtown. We weren’t there five minutes after putting up the ‘coming soon’ banner after we signed the lease when we had multiple different business owners pop out and welcome us, which was pretty amazing. We wanted to make sure that what we’re doing isn’t going to have any negative impact on the neighborhood.”