Hardcore bass thumping and dancing into the wee hours of the morning at one of Calgary’s cornerstone niche nightclubs is now a thing of the past.
The Warehouse and Underground officially shut their doors Thursday after serving the city’s underground and afterhours scene for 26 years, according to manager Chris Hewitt.
The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC) suspended the club’s class C licence last Friday, stating the venue has outgrown the licence which requires them to be a “non-profit, member-only venue.”
“We pulled the licence because it does not meet requirements. They are not non-profit and are not member only; they advertise to the general public,” AGLC spokesperson Lynn Hutchings-Mah said, adding they tried to work with the club to apply for another licence.
But Hewitt says the club simply cannot take the necessary weeks and dollars necessary to apply for a licence they may not be approved for due to city zoning regulations.
“It’s been an unfortunate chain of events, and it’s very distressing for everybody involved but there were simply no options. There will be a massive hole in the Calgary nightlife now,” Hewitt told Metro.
Hewitt is concerned about where the regular customers will turn to, with no other venue in the city like the Warehouse.
Hundreds of Calgarians took the news with a bitter taste in their mouths, turning to Facebook to grieve the city’s nightlife loss.
“A piece of my heart was broken when I heard the news,” Sydney Branheim said.
