Monday, December 1, 2008

aqua nightclub closes

Columbus hot spot Aqua Nightclub has closed its doors "for good," according to a blog post on the venue's MySpace page.

The club's last day was Saturday, the message says.

Here's the full thing, which was posted Friday:

As sad as it is to say....we are closing the doors for good Sat Nov 29th. So come on out and help us say goodbye to a one time hotspot here in Columbus. I know alot of you have some wonderful memories here, I hope you all get to stop by a relive them one last time

Thanks

Tim

PS.....All the beer and open liquor has to go......can you say drink specials

For nearly 20 years, the 1812 Midtown Drive venue housed Memory Lane. It got new ownership and became Aqua Nightclub earlier this year. About two months ago, ownership changed again.

I put in a message to Tim, the bar's most recent owner, and hopefully I'll get some comments on the closing a little later today.

It's an unfortunate thing, especially since I was really looking forward to the Dec. 12 Chippendales show. I always felt really comfortable at Aqua, even if the crowds didn't rival what you'd expect from H2O or the Shanty Shack.

Based on pure speculation, I think one of Aqua's biggest challenges was it location (right near the Columbus Public Library). When you have a bar outside the main downtown area, people have to make a deliberate point to go there -- and arrive under the assumption that they will want to be there all night.

That can be a tough sell.

If a new venue takes over the former Aqua, it has to open its doors every night knowing that it must compete with not only downtown -- but also powerhouses like H2O. Another generic dance club probably won't cut it.

What do you think will?