We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Christa Suppan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Christa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your business and how did you resolve those issues?

Owning a restaurant/bar is full of unexpected problems and issues. From deliveries to point of sale systems, you never quite know what the day or evening will bring. To say you always have to be ready to pivot is an understatement! Running a business like mine has always had its “situations” but nothing like 2020.
When the tornado hit in March we were most definitely blind-sided. It’s much more difficult to pivot when you don’t have roofs, electricity, windows and your patio is sitting a street over from where it was the day before. It’ was a gut-punch but East Nashville and patrons showed up and showed out once again in supporting us to get back up and going as quickly as possible. We were able to open the following week only to be closed 3 days later to Covid-19. At first we thought it would be two weeks until we could re-open. My mind thought how hard that would be without revenue but credit cards would have to be maxed and carry us through. Little did I know that it would be six months before we were able to reopen with limited times and capacity. This wasn’t the normal day-to-day “something is broken” but this was “what if we can’t reopen”. Those six months were the longest days of my life. My phone was silent and that was perhaps the weirdest thing of all. I’m used to it ringing and dinging with messages, phone calls and emails 24/7. The silence was beyond deafening. Walking in to The Lipstick Lounge during that time was heartbreaking. What was once full of life and residual energy of the night before was so very still. The tears that were cried during those six months could have filled a river. There was no handbook on how to survive a pandemic for your business, there was no one to go to for advice, all small businesses were in the same boat and it was most definitely sinking. I would love to spin a tale on how brilliant I was and how I so easily navigated the new waters but that would be deceitful. These were uncharted waters that not one of us had ever been through before.
So I prayed, begged and dug in with everything so that we could reopen. I had an amazing bank that helped until we received a disaster loan from the SBA and the PPP that assisted to get us back up and going and make sure our staff was paid during our limited hours and capacity. One of the happiest days in these last twenty years was plugging in the new open sign on the new window September 11th of 2020. We made it through being closed, we did it. BUT, the pivots that I once knew were a whole different amount and totally changed from before. The supply chain as you all know took a beating and even now, two years later we still struggle with getting the things once so easily obtained. I had never worried about getting napkins. Silverware, glassware, food or any of the so-called small things to operate. Kitchen sales were always something we made a very small profit on but it was still profitable. Now we are lucky to break even on food, the prices are ever fluctuating and not in the way we would hope. Some things have tripled in price, quadrupled in price even. But we are the lucky ones to have been able to reopen so we keep moving forward and pivoting to keep up with all the challenges that pop up on a daily basis.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Growing up in Illinois, my grandparents owned and ran a restaurant/bar. Back in those days, taverns were a common place for families to go since they didn’t have all the chain restaurants like today. I grew up sitting on a bar top and enjoyed every moment of being around all the different people, the friends of my family and being a part of the energy on which I thrive. I watched my dad who was a small business owner, next to the tavern, fill in bartending and whatever my grandparents needed. It was a family affair. When I was 15 I started work at a small pizza shop in my hometown. There I was taught how to wait tables, work in the kitchen and see how a small business worked at an age that I could understand. I moved to Nashville a few years later, went to college and decided to keep working in the industry. Behind the bar is where I performed. I’m not an actress or a singer but that was my stage. I absolutely loved meeting new customers, greeting the ones I saw on a daily basis and genuinely getting to know people.
After a few years of working in the Cool Springs area, I was asked to be a part of The Lipstick Lounge when it opened in 2002. I was absolutely interested and started working there. A few months later I was offered to come in as an owner and I accepted. I had often times thought about opening a bar but my father discouraged me saying, “the only way to be a millionaire owning a bar is to start with two million so you have a million to lose”. I now completely understand what he was saying. Ownership of a small business, of any kind, comes from passion and loving people. It is most definitely not a “get rich quick”, or a “get rich at all” mentality.
Over the years Lipstick has transformed time and again to give the patrons what they want and need. Whether it be entertainment or a specific drink, my job is to listen and provide. Lipstick is a bar for humans, that is our tagline, and we mean it. We want everyone who walks through the old door of our purple building to feel the love and show up just as they are.
I am so very fortunate to have the best of the best working with me on a daily basis. They have a love for humans the same as I do. The bar has become their stage as well and I love watching them thrive in their “home” as well.
My goal is to keep the doors open to continue to provide a loving and an all-encompassing space for Nashville and
visitors alike. It’s been amazing over the years to see people from all walks of life, meet one another at Lipstick. Who knows if they ever would have met anywhere else. I don’t know too many places that have the diversity that Lipstick brings. To watch all these wonderful humans, laugh and be themselves is a beautiful sight. To see people I met 20 years ago build a family at Lipstick and not just be a patron but a friend to so many is the reason my passion still holds.

How’d you meet your business partner?

In the late 90’s-early 2000’s, I worked at a restaurant/bar in Cool Springs. I had a wonderful slew of regulars that I saw on an almost daily basis. Little did I know that one of them was Jonda’s twin sister! One day I was working lunch and Jonda walked in (of course I thought it was Ronda because I had no clue!) they had come to see if I was interested in working at their new concept, The Lipstick Lounge. Ownership has changed over the last 20 years except for Jonda Valentine, now it is just the two of us. We dated for several years and decided owning a business and dating were a bad idea. We are today the best of friends and “sisters”.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

When I say we have the best of the best working at Lipstick, I mean it. My “kids”, since they all call me Ma, are they reason we win awards like #1 karaoke and #1 LGBTQ+ bar in Nashville. My goal is constantly to make their jobs easier and make sure they have a life outside of work. It’s hard in this industry and especially when you run a skeleton crew to juggle, but I want each of my kids to make the most money possible and look forward to coming to work instead of dreading it.

Contact Info:

• Website: WWW.TheLipstickLounge.com
• Instagram: the_lipstick_lounge
• Facebook: The Lipstick Lounge

Image Credits
Leah Epling Photography