Slim's

History

Van Alston and Chris Post opened the room at 227 S. Wilmington St. on April 15, 1999, as the Lakeside Lounge, a partnership with a New York bar of the same name. Within a year they split with the New York partners and renamed it Slim’s, a nod to a bartender nicknamed Fats. The narrow downtown dive became Raleigh’s intimate rock club, with a stage barely a foot off the floor and room for about 100, booking rising local bands and touring acts that wanted a small room. New owners took over in April 2024.