Closed Davie Village lounge 1181 prepares to relaunch on February 1 under new ownership

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      The closure of West End bar 1181 proved to be a shock to the Davie Street nightlife scene. But although it may be slightly past the 11th hour, the bar has been saved and will have a new lease on life. 

      To recap, owner Jennifer Mickey announced on December 3 that the last day for her two LGBT–based Davie Village venues, 1181 lounge (at 1181 Davie Street) and nightclub XY (1216 Davie Street) would be on December 31 due to financial challenges.

      Mickey had taken over ownership of 1181 in 2011 (the establishment originally opened in 2006).

      A Re/Max Commercial listing posted on December 7 (updated on January 10) stated that 1181 was up for sale at $149,000 with a liquor primary license in place seven days a week until 3 a.m. The listings states that the 1,600-square-foot venue has a seating capacity of 60 people and features a bar with two lounge areas.

      However, today (January 31), 1181 public-relations representative Eva Gallagher informed the Georgia Straight that the bar will reopen on February 1 under new ownership.

      The new owners, Todd Hoye and Rafael Calvente, decided to take over the space after seeing the reaction to its closure.

      Hoye was previously the general manager of 1181.

      Initial changes will include a new sound system and new weekly parties, such as drag shows as well an open-deck night on Thursday (in which new DJs can try out their sets for one hour).

      The February 1 grand opening, starting at 10 p.m., will feature DJ Carolina Campos, with a suggested dress code of white.

      Althought the owner are busy at the moment preparing for the relaunch, they have released the new logos for the venue:

      New logo for 1181
      1181 Lounge
      New logo for 1181
      1181 Lounge
      You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at @cinecraig or on Facebook. You can also follow the Straight's LGBT coverage on Twitter at @StraightLGBT or on Facebook.

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