Cross post from HatCityBLOG
I was planning on writing on what I learned regarding the whole Maxwell’s closing situation but Mark Langlois at the Danbury Patch pretty much nailed it.
Maxwell’s Sports Bar and Grill closed at 1 Ives St., last week and sometime between midnight on March 24 and 1:27 p.m. March 25, someone stole 14 TVs, liquor, three kegs of beer and two video games.
“They were carefully removed,” said Capt. Thomas Wendel, spokesman for the Danbury Police Department. “None of the wires were severed.”
Wendel also said there was no sign of forced entry into the downtown eatery.
This isn’t good news for Ives Street, said Victor Aravena, who opened the Alley Way Diner, 14 Ives St., in 2006.
“I’ve seen three pizza restaurants come and go and nine other places come and go out,” Aravena said. “We’re getting Sonic, but the heart of Danbury is slowly dying. It used to be a destination.”
Ives Street has been in a tailspin since the mayor’s office placed new restrictions on establishments on the street once known as a popular entertainment destination.
Wendel also said there was no sign of forced entry into the downtown eatery.
This isn’t good news for Ives Street, said Victor Aravena, who opened the Alley Way Diner, 14 Ives St., in 2006.
“I’ve seen three pizza restaurants come and go and nine other places come and go out,” Aravena said. “We’re getting Sonic, but the heart of Danbury is slowly dying. It used to be a destination.”
[...]
One of the numerous changes Danbury is considering involves the ordinance that says a restaurant is a business that makes most of its money from food, while a nightclub makes most of its money from liquor. The city limited the number of nightclubs allowed. (So business owners sought restaurant liquor licenses, but served little or no food, the city argued.) Now the city is struggling to find a balance. In the economic downturn, the city ordinance seems to be getting in the way of business.
“Something drastic has to happen,” Aravena said.
It may not sound drastic, but the city is preparing a downtown plan that will look at this issue and other downtown issues with the goal of improving downtown Danbury.
“We’re evaluating the whole issue of night clubs and the food and beverage mixture,” said Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton. “We want to encourage full-blown development. We may be loosening the regulations.”
Andrea Gartner, executive director of CityCenter Danbury, said Danbury has to rediscover its heart.
“The downtown contributes to the wellness and health of the region,” Gartner said.
Make sure to read the entire piece at the Patch. The article provides a good history on the chain of events that resulted with the increase of entertainment establishments along Mill Plain Road in the last 5 years.
Jimmy pursey, you are a fool… Tom had his hand in choa, and that place shit the bed… the zoning that prevents BARs/CLUBS and the fact that you cant park anywhere without being charged has killed it… I live near Deer Hill and i walk downtown in the summer… the Illegal’s that yell at girls I’m with and run there faces in Spanish at me is why i hate going down there… this is not 1 or 2 times either its every time i go out… also the cop should step up there game with the homeless and beggars. I have been told that in new haven you can get a free bus ticket to go “sleep” at the Dorothy Day homeless shelter… And downtown used to have great crowds, the places used to be packed, and you could walk around and not be harassed by migrant workers…
Downtown was a pit in the late 80′s, long before “the illegals” became a convenient scapegoat. At least back then this was reflected in cheap rent.
However this place closed due to unpaid bills.
Nothing will ever happen on Ives Street unless Tom Devine deems it may.
I agree with everyone, Downtown is nothing like what it used to be. The reason “Illegals” always has been and always will be. I am 38 now and have lived in Danbury all my life. Downtown in my younger days was a happening place. Tuxedos had the Zoo, The Nerds etc. Thats when downtown was poppin. In the last 12 years or so its been a disaster. That is why the club and Bar scene is moving to the west side. Out there you will find normal people you can mingle with. Until things change downtown, there is no need to waste time tring to figure out how to make things better when the real answer to why downtown is “dead” is right under there noses. THINK ABOUT IT!
Zoning has little to do with Maxwell’s failure. There are three main reasons:
As the previous commenter mentioned, it was a poor business model. Besides the places mentioned, Buffalo Wild Wings has just opened up and you have First and Ten in New Milford. All of the places have much better food and far better TV setups. Maxwell’s was clearly the worst of the sports bars in the area.
Secondly, this place caters to the WestConn crowd. Once you turn 25, the last place you want to spend a weekend is with a bunch of drunken college students looking to fight and acting immaturely. Yes, you get some of this at Pippas, BWW, etc., but those places get a more mixed crowd.
Thirdly, downtown is still viewed by many as an illegals hangout (yes most won’t bother you but the stigma is still there). Zoning will not change that. Why pay for parking and feel unsafe when you can go to many bars along Federal or Mill Plain Roads and avoid that mess.
i agree on the sports bar thing. went there once. nice place, not my scene.
the receipts for food/liquor was i believe 60/40 and was enforced.
i saw this the other day and wondered.
it was packed in the summer.
back in the day in the late 90s, we had 4-5 local music venues….hell, remember 7 on 7? over the years it dwindled to 3 and 2. i guess, older means settling for less and now 2 venues have us.
i’ll always remember the original comfy place in this space…the Downtime Online Cafe. those multi-gamers really kept it going.
“but the heart of Danbury is slowly dying. It used to be a
destination.”
I have lived here for twenty-six years. In the past twenty-five years, downtown Danbury has never been a destination. There have been a few pit stops along the way, but the days of going downtown are long gone.
Every mayor for the past twenty-six years has been trying to get downtown Danbury to be a destination. The physical look has moderately improved over the past quarter century, but for those of us in Danbury’s ‘burbs, there is very little to draw us into downtown.
The immigrant population is the primary resident of downtown and the businesses and activities would gravitate towards that end. However, in contrast to the predominately Hispanic population of downtown, the larger black and white communities living in greater Danbury (I am going to generalize) probably have greater amounts of people and money to spend. There is also a more broadly based, shared history that the black and white communities have as well.
Many of the businesses downtown are going to be limited to a rather small contingency of people and are not attractive or meeting the needs of the larger ethnic/racial groups in the area.
Until Danbury can begin to rectify that situation, downtown will remain a outback for the larger Danburian consumer.
I would argue it was more of a poor business model than zoning ordinances that did in Maxwells. Adding another sports bar to compete with Pippas, TK’s and Billy beans was not a well thought out plan.
You cant’ blame poor business acumen on zoning policies.
Taking all that stuff in less than 1.5 hours on a Thursday night with no witnesses? That story is a little suspect. Sounds like a debt needed to be paid, follow the insurance money.