04/12/2018
It has now been a week since the Bamboo Lounge was closed. I had planned to post what happened shortly thereafter. However, the news broke before I could tell it, and rumors began to swirl, as they do. I saw a few messages, some very kind, and some filled with assumptions that were presented as inside information.
I had wanted to inform certain people, including show hosts, before the news came out. I didn’t want those people finding out from an impersonal message. That did not happen. There are still messages and phone calls I have not returned, but will, during the course of the next couple days.
The day prior to the closure, I received a call from my doctor’s office to inform me of a new issue with the wound and infection problem I have been dealing with for months. The day after the closure, I had a sliver of hope that perhaps something could be worked out to reopen, which it could not. At the same time, I had an emergency doctor’s appointment to follow up on the news I was given. While I was at my appointment, my phone began to ding repeatedly with texts and Facebook messages, along with phone calls. I was only able to answer a few, before I was overwhelmed by all of it.
When I saw the assumed reasons in some comments, I chose to basically stay away from Facebook. While this was a very upsetting thing for everyone involved - show hosts, performers, employees, and patrons - it was devastating to me on a personal and financial level. Add in my health issues, and it seemed to be more than I could handle, at the moment.
I have taken a full week to let it set in, to think about things, and to regroup, emotionally, as much as I can this soon. Here is the full story - the truth - as to why it closed.
Prior to my purchase agreement with the owner of the corporation that operates as the Bamboo Lounge, two things had happened, beginning in October 2016.
First, there had been a water main break on Pine a couple months prior to October. Shortly thereafter, the city installed an electronic readout on the water meter. The bill we received in October was for 120,000 gallons of water usage, which is impossible for a building that size. We had no leaks. The water bill normally ran $250-300 per month. By the time everything was paid off, over the course of four months, roughly $5000 had been paid, which included a new deposit, because there had been an agreement worked out for payment. The bill adjusted back to normal on its own, which was further proof there was no leak. The city would not budge on what was owed, so there was no choice in the matter. It had to be paid.
Second, that same month, a customer left the bar and killed a motorcyclist on Memorial. The police determined we were within legal limits of what was served to him, and that we were not criminally negligent. While it was tragic and we were very sorry for what had occurred, we thought that our involvement was over. So it was believed.
In January 2017, I signed papers to begin the purchase process. We waded through the continued mess of the water bill issue, finally resolving it, or so I thought. A couple months after it returned to normal, it shot back up to more than $700 per month for nearly four months, then again, returned to normal.
In June, all but one license was due for renewal. That amounted to more than $3000. The money that had been paid to the city for water was to go to licensing, so I had to rely on profits. I even made personal loans to the bar, amounting to roughly $3000, a thousand of which I was never able to be repaid, and which I did not have to lose. But I was trying to make sure things ran well.
This same month, out-of-the-blue, a letter was served saying the corporation had a civil suit filed against it for the wrongful death of the man that was killed on the motorcycle. That man’s cousin is an attorney, and he brought the suit on behalf of the family.
I had no money to hire an attorney, although I did speak to several. The person from whom I was purchasing the corporation told me that it would most likely be dropped. However, a judgement in the amount of $2.5 million dollars was finally awarded in February 2018.
To complicate the financial issues, the final license required for renewal came in mid-August. It was nearly $2000. Because of this, we got behind on taxes, both sales and liquor. It began to snowball, continuing to add up.
Further complicating everything, some health issues I had faced from mid-January 2017 began to worsen. By September, I could no longer be at the bar to oversee things. I depended on employees to relay information to me, then I handled things from home. In the latter half of December, I had worsened to the point I became septic from MRSA and Strep-B, with a nearly 105-degree fever. When I was taken by ambulance to the hospital, I was told I was within hours of dying. In fact, the second day I was there, the Rapid Response team had to brought in to stabilize me.
I spent 5 days in the hospital. They didn’t want to release me, but I kept begging to go home for Christmas. The health issues have continued. I had to rely on other people to take over the entire running of the bar. It was only recently that I had become more involved with operations, although still from home. While I am better than I was at that time, I am still facing an uphill battle with many possible outcomes, some of which are disturbing. But I’m praying for the best.
Last week, I received a letter from the tax commission. I had already made the decision that I was going to resign from the corporation, in the hopes that when it reverted back to the person from whom I was purchasing it, who still held equal shares in it, he would allow the current team, which had done an excellent job of maintaining things and helping to bring new customers in, to remain in place to run it, while he took care of the tax issues and put his attorney on the lawsuit. I was getting ready to call to explain this to the commission, when they came in to shut the bar down.
I have now resigned from the corporation, with letters going to all the necessary parties. The turnaround in business came too late, and without the proper financial backing, there simply was no time left.
This was heartbreaking for me. Whether or not I was involved, I wanted things to continue for the employees, the performers, for the charities for whom we raised money. This was why I agreed to purchase it. I had no pretense that I would make any huge amounts of money from the bar. I knew I was not going to become rich from it. But it served a purpose for this community. It meant something to many people. It was often more than a bar. It was where friends that had become family gathered. It was where people were entertained. It was a place where people escaped their daily lives, and for a few hours, were transported to a place where those troubles didn’t exist. As one of the performers said, it was somewhat of a church, as it was where people felt renewed on some level.
It was a financial drain, as I mentioned I never received full repayment of the loans I had made. I’m left trying to figure out how I am going to replace a gas water heater that decided to start leaking into the drain pan, running up my personal gas and water bills, that are now becoming a burden. The electric igniter on the oven decided it, too, had seen enough food pass through it, and decided to go out. So, life goes on with problems for which I have no immediate resolution.
I am proud of what we did, both as the show coordinator and DJ, prior to my purchase, and as the president of the corporation that owned the Bamboo. We had many wonderful nights, many wonderful memories. And there were so many wonderful faces that passed through and became part of the nearly 59 year legacy of the Bamboo Lounge. We raised a lot of money for various charities, individuals, and causes. We came together, and cried together, when the Pulse Nightclub tragedy occurred. We saw the passing of some wonderful patrons and performers, and we mourned together. Many holidays were celebrated together. And we formed our own family. To all the individuals that were in any way part of the Bamboo, I thank you - for your service, for your talents, and for your patronage. May God/Goddess/All That Is bless and uplift each and every one of you. And remember, spread love and kindness wherever you go.
