AFTER A SUDDEN CLOSURE TUESDAY night, rumors about why Chi-town club Next Door closed its doors were spreading faster than you could say the gentrification of Chinatown.

Event promoters who have regular gigs at the Hotel Street haunt said Wednesday that they had heard the place had been shut down because of some undisclosed violation of a Liquor Commission code, but people affiliated with the club were saying it wasn’t as serious as all that. Turns out both sides were right.

This is what we know:

•Initially, the folks at Next Door weren’t saying anything at all. Then they released an unofficial statement yesterday saying that they had closed because they were having sound problems and that they would reopen tomorrow in time for First Friday.

•A report issued June 6 by the Liquor Commission stated that Next Door has been put on probation. Liquor Commission administrator Dewey Kim said that the club is indeed having sound problems — and neighbor problems. Kim said there have been, and continue to be, complaints about the club’s noise level, prompting the probation. During the probation period of six months, commission officials will make routine visits to the club to monitor its sound levels. He said the commission did not order the club to close, and that Next Door has been making an effort to solve its sound problems by hiring a sound engineer and making improvemnets to the air conditioning system, which helps to buffer the sound.

•At 3:15 today, Next Door issued an official statement saying that it will be closed until August 1 for renovation. The statement said:

The venue will be working on some improvements including adding more air conditioning, re-doing interior decoration, and re-organizing and improving the sound system.
As we approach our 3rd anniversary, we want to improve the quality in ambiance, sound, and our entertainment … All in-house promotions including Acid Wash Wednesday, Chinatown Sessions, and Chinatown Social Club will be postponed until August. These events will NOT be moved to another venue.

It’s still not clear why the club decided to close so suddenly and without notice. Phone calls to Next Door staff members have not been returned.

Tags: bars, Chinatown, clubs, Dewey Kim, liquor commission, Next Door, nightlife

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 at 4:48 pm and is filed under Arts and Entertainment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.