Todd Van Sickle is an American businessman whose public history is closely associated with Eddie’s Attic, the Decatur, Georgia, music venue founded by Eddie Owen. Van Sickle purchased the established club in March 2002 and remained its owner until selling it to Bob Ephlin in June 2005. Contemporary reporting also identified him as Jennifer Nettles’ husband at the time of the purchase.
His name is also connected to Jennifer Nettles, the Georgia-born singer who later became internationally recognized as one half of Sugarland. Nettles and Van Sickle married in 1998 and divorced in 2007. Their marriage covered a particularly important period in Nettles’ musical development, including the formation and early success of Sugarland.
Quick Facts
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Todd Van Sickle |
| Nationality | American |
| Profession | Businessman |
| Best Known For | Former owner of Eddie’s Attic |
| Eddie’s Attic Purchase | March 2002 |
| Eddie’s Attic Sale | June 2005 |
| Venue Location | Decatur, Georgia |
| Venue Founder | Eddie Owen |
| Venue Founded | 1992 |
| Former Spouse | Jennifer Nettles |
| Marriage Year | 1998 |
| Divorce | 2007 |
| Business Connection | Van Sickle Enterprises, Inc. |
Todd Van Sickle’s Public Profile
Todd Van Sickle is best understood through his documented business connection to Eddie’s Attic and his former marriage to Jennifer Nettles. Unlike Nettles, he did not develop a public career as a recording artist or television personality. His strongest documented connection to the entertainment world came through ownership of the Decatur music venue.
When Van Sickle purchased Eddie’s Attic in 2002, the club already had a significant reputation in the Atlanta-area acoustic music community. Creative Loafing described the transaction as a sale from founder Eddie Owen to Van Sickle, who was then identified as the husband of local singer and Attic regular Jennifer Nettles.
Todd Van Sickle and Eddie’s Attic
Van Sickle purchased Eddie’s Attic in March 2002, taking over from founder Eddie Owen, who had owned and operated the Decatur club for roughly a decade. Contemporary reporting said the venue would retain its name and acoustic-music orientation after the ownership change.
His ownership continued until June 2005, when Bob Ephlin purchased the club. Creative Loafing’s coverage of the transaction specifically described Ephlin as the new owner and Van Sickle as the former owner, establishing the three-year period of Van Sickle’s connection with the venue.
His Role in Atlanta’s Music Scene
Eddie’s Attic had become an important part of the Atlanta-area singer-songwriter community before Van Sickle purchased it. The venue’s history is connected with artists including the Indigo Girls, Shawn Mullins, John Mayer and Sugarland, while Eddie Owen’s support helped make the club an influential listening room for developing performers.
Van Sickle’s role was primarily on the business and ownership side rather than as a performer. His importance to the music scene therefore comes from his period as venue owner, when Eddie’s Attic continued operating as an established Decatur destination for acoustic performances and singer-songwriters.
Todd Van Sickle’s Connection to Decatur
Todd Van Sickle became connected with Decatur, Georgia, through his ownership of Eddie’s Attic. The city had already developed a recognizable arts and music identity, and the venue was one of its established entertainment businesses. His purchase placed him directly within that local cultural environment.
His connection to Decatur is also important because Eddie’s Attic was more than a conventional nightclub. The venue was known for its intimate setting and emphasis on original music, creating a space where local and visiting singer-songwriters could perform for attentive audiences.
Eddie’s Attic During His Ownership
During Van Sickle’s ownership, Eddie’s Attic continued operating under its established name and retained its acoustic-music identity. The 2002 ownership report noted that there were no plans to change the venue’s name or its musical orientation, although renovations and menu changes were being considered.
The ownership eventually changed again in June 2005, when Bob Ephlin took control. Later reporting from 2011 documented another transition, when concert promoter Alex Cooley and business partner Dave Mattingly purchased Eddie’s Attic from Ephlin.
Marriage to Jennifer Nettles
Todd Van Sickle married Jennifer Nettles in 1998, several years before she became nationally recognized through Sugarland. At the time, Nettles was already active in Georgia’s music community, performing as a singer and songwriter before her career expanded onto the national country-music stage.
The relationship lasted until 2007, making their marriage an important part of Nettles’ early adult life and career timeline. Their relationship also overlapped with Van Sickle’s Eddie’s Attic ownership, linking their personal history with one of the Georgia music venues associated with Nettles’ early performing years.
Todd Van Sickle During Jennifer Nettles’ Rise
Jennifer Nettles’ professional career developed significantly during the years she was married to Van Sickle. Sugarland formed in 2002, the same year Van Sickle purchased Eddie’s Attic, and the group released its debut album, Twice the Speed of Life, in 2004.
This created an interesting overlap between Van Sickle’s business history and Nettles’ musical rise. He was operating a Georgia music venue while his wife was moving from the regional singer-songwriter circuit toward the national country-music industry through Sugarland.
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Todd Van Sickle’s Connection to Decatur’s Music Community
Van Sickle’s ownership placed him within a music community that had already produced important opportunities for emerging artists. Eddie’s Attic’s history includes performers who later achieved wider recognition, and the venue continued to serve as a listening room during his ownership period.
His connection to this community is particularly notable because Jennifer Nettles herself had ties to Eddie’s Attic. The 2002 Creative Loafing report described her as a local singer and Attic regular when Van Sickle purchased the club, giving the venue a direct connection to both sides of their public story.
Eddie’s Attic During His Ownership
When Van Sickle took control of Eddie’s Attic, the club was already established rather than a new venture. Founder Eddie Owen had opened the venue in 1992 and spent the following decade developing its reputation around acoustic music and singer-songwriters.
Van Sickle’s ownership lasted from 2002 through 2005, after which Bob Ephlin became the owner. The documented sequence shows Van Sickle as one of the venue’s key owners during its continuing development, while Owen remained involved with talent booking for part of the broader ownership period.
Todd Van Sickle’s Place in Jennifer Nettles’ Early Story
Todd Van Sickle was part of Jennifer Nettles’ life before Sugarland became a major country act. Their 1998 marriage began during the period when Nettles was establishing herself within Georgia’s music community and performing before larger national audiences became familiar with her work.
Sugarland’s formation in 2002 marked a major development in Nettles’ career. Van Sickle’s ownership of Eddie’s Attic began during that same year, creating a notable chronological connection between his business activities and one of the most important professional transitions in his former wife’s life.
Divorce From Jennifer Nettles
Todd Van Sickle and Jennifer Nettles’ marriage ended in 2007. Established entertainment coverage identifies the relationship as lasting from 1998 to 2007, while later reporting placed the finalization of the divorce in March 2007.
Nettles later married Justin Miller in November 2011. Miller was an entrepreneur and former model, and the couple subsequently welcomed their son Magnus Hamilton Miller in 2012. This marked a separate chapter of Nettles’ personal life after her marriage to Van Sickle had ended.
The End of His Eddie’s Attic Ownership
Van Sickle’s ownership of Eddie’s Attic ended in June 2005, when Bob Ephlin purchased the venue. Creative Loafing’s report described Ephlin as the new owner and explained that he had considered purchasing the club around the same period when Van Sickle originally acquired it.
The venue continued through additional ownership changes after Van Sickle’s departure. In 2011, Alex Cooley and Dave Mattingly purchased Eddie’s Attic from Ephlin, while the venue’s history continued to preserve its association with Decatur’s singer-songwriter community.
His Business Connection Beyond Eddie’s Attic
Van Sickle’s business history also includes Van Sickle Enterprises, Inc., a Georgia company associated with his name. The company’s documented corporate record provides another indication that his professional identity extended beyond his connection with Jennifer Nettles and Eddie’s Attic.
This business connection is useful when looking at Van Sickle’s profile because it places his public history within a broader business context. His best-documented public role remains the ownership of Eddie’s Attic, while the corporate record adds another factual element to his professional background.
Life After Eddie’s Attic
After selling Eddie’s Attic in 2005, Van Sickle became far less prominent in entertainment reporting. The strongest later coverage concerning his name tends to reference his earlier connection with the venue or his former marriage to Jennifer Nettles rather than documenting a continuing career in the entertainment industry.
That makes the 2002–2005 Eddie’s Attic period the clearest professional chapter in his public biography. It is supported by contemporary coverage of both the purchase from Eddie Owen and the later sale to Bob Ephlin, providing a consistent timeline for his involvement with the venue.
Todd Van Sickle’s Public Profile Today
Todd Van Sickle has maintained a much lower public profile than Jennifer Nettles. His documented public identity remains associated primarily with his former ownership of Eddie’s Attic and his marriage to Nettles, rather than an ongoing career as a public entertainment figure.
For that reason, the most useful way to understand Van Sickle today is through the documented chapters of his career and personal history. His ownership of a well-known Decatur venue and his place in Nettles’ early story remain the central facts associated with his public profile.
Interesting Facts About Todd Van Sickle
- Todd Van Sickle purchased Eddie’s Attic in March 2002, taking over from founder Eddie Owen.
- He owned the Decatur venue until June 2005, when Bob Ephlin became its owner.
- Van Sickle married Jennifer Nettles in 1998, before Sugarland reached national prominence.
- Eddie’s Attic was founded in 1992, giving the venue a decade-long history before Van Sickle purchased it.
- Sugarland formed in 2002, the same year Van Sickle became the owner of Eddie’s Attic.
Conclusion
Todd Van Sickle’s public story centers on business, music and marriage. His most significant professional chapter came through Eddie’s Attic, the Decatur venue he purchased from Eddie Owen in 2002 and later sold to Bob Ephlin in 2005. The venue’s established reputation made his ownership part of an important period in Georgia’s singer-songwriter community.
His marriage to Jennifer Nettles from 1998 to 2007 added another prominent connection to his biography. Their relationship overlapped with Nettles’ transition from Georgia’s music scene to national success with Sugarland, while Van Sickle remained primarily associated with business and venue ownership rather than performing.
FAQs
Who is Todd Van Sickle?
Todd Van Sickle is an American businessman best known for owning Eddie’s Attic and being Jennifer Nettles’ first husband.
When did Todd Van Sickle own Eddie’s Attic?
He owned Eddie’s Attic from 2002 to 2005, after purchasing it from founder Eddie Owen.
When did Todd Van Sickle marry Jennifer Nettles?
Todd Van Sickle and Jennifer Nettles married in 1998 and divorced in 2007.
What is Todd Van Sickle best known for?
He is best known for his Eddie’s Attic ownership and his former marriage to Jennifer Nettles.
What happened to Eddie’s Attic after Van Sickle?
Van Sickle sold the venue to Bob Ephlin in 2005, beginning another chapter in the club’s ownership history.
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