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GREENSBORO — As some Greensboro music venues closed their doors in the last few years, it left musicians with fewer opportunities to perform live shows.

For Greensboro bands Torch Runner, Braveyoung and Resister, their response was to be part of the solution. Instead of slinking off to the live music metropolises of Chapel Hill or Asheville, they decided to remain focused on Greensboro.

Along with recording engineer Kris Hilbert, the three bands pooled their money and their energy to create Legitimate Business (or LGT BIZ), a gritty, off-beat music hall that brightens up an otherwise dismal section of Grove Street near Aycock Street.

The venue presents shows by a wide mixture of local and touring acts of genres ranging from punk, experimental and even DJ sets.

The venue interiors do little to mask the fact that the place was once a welding shop. However, the green walls, dark grey sound panels, and modern chandelier hanging over the stage create a minimalist charm befitting an audience in search of live music beyond the commercial trappings of a bar or club.

One could hardly label LGT BIZ’s 13 members as entrepreneurs. Making money isn’t their focus. They have yet to generate a profit from running the space, and they intend to keep it that way.

A year and a half after they opened their doors, they’ve managed to keep it running and more importantly, attract audiences as large as 200 or more.

“When we got the space, I don’t think we could have ever imagined we would have shows of the size that we have,” says Hilbert, 23, whose beard rivals the length of his long dark hair.

Initially, Hilbert and his friends rented the building with the idea that it would primarily be a practice space with a recording studio in the balcony that would host one-off shows by their friends’ bands once a month.

Today, LGT BIZ is still primarily used as a practice space and a recording studio, but the number of shows has risen to four or six per month.

“It’s kind of partially due to the fact that we have the resource of this space, and it’s almost kind of silly not to use it for community related stuff,” says fellow member Ben Saperstein, 27, of Braveyoung. “Even if that’s not the original intent, some of us just felt bad that it was not being used more to the potential that it could be.”

Hilbert remembers when they first entered the building, which used to be a welding shop before it was converted to a storage space by their landlord.

After removing the clutter from the building, the members began working on the space. They added a yellow wooden sign to the front with the words “Legitimate Business” cut out from the middle and lit from behind with a pair of light bulbs. They also constructed a half-pipe for skateboarders over a concrete slab they found in the backyard.

“We didn’t even know the slab was back there until we cleared out all of the weeds,” Saperstein says.

They also added to the space’s industrial chic interior a narrow white sign at the main entrance that reads, “No racism, sexism or homophobia at LGT BIZ.”

“One of the space members made that right when the first show was beginning because it was something that was a core value behind what we are doing,” Saperstein says.

The members uphold this code of conduct not only amongst audience members, but the musicians who play onstage as well. Before a band is allowed to play at LGT BIZ, a member will screen their music to ensure they do not feature racist, sexist or homophobic content. They also don’t tolerate slurs from musicians during performances.

“Everyone is welcome until they make anyone else feel unwelcome,” Saperstein says.

Right now, the members of LGT BIZ are contemplating the future of their venue. UNCG has begun a campaign to expand its campus into the Glenwood neighborhood where Grove Street is located.

While UNCG has yet to announce plans to buy the property where LGT BIZ is located, the members are prepared for whatever comes.

“We resigned our lease. I hope we’ll be able to sign it again,” Hilbert says. “And worst case, we’ll do it somewhere else even better after having learned a lot from here.”

Contact Joe Scott at movieshowjoe@gmail.com