Beloved Black Rock music venue The Acoustic is getting a second lease on life after a Bridgeport business owner purchased it.

The Torres family has owned sandwich staple Harborview Market for nearly 30 years. They say the pandemic has been hard on Black Rock businesses.

Michele and Rick Torres say when it looked like The Acoustic was going to be a COVID-19 casualty, they felt a duty to step in.

Their son, John Torres, has been playing music at The Acoustic since high school. He says The Acoustic has always been about giving local musicians a stage and a voice.

Torres' plans for the new venue are so big that they include knocking down some walls and moving into the current site of Varsity Barber Shop.

Owner Tim Gagne says The Acoustic is helping to pay his relocation costs. The Torres family hopes the shiny new venue will attract some regional and national names.

They hope to help breathe life into a local scene that's laid dormant for a year.

Construction on the new space is set to start later this month. The family says he hopes to open his doors to the public by August.