City Desk doesn't usually check the Wall Street Journal for D.C. nightlife tips. But there it is, right on the paper's Bankruptcy Beat blog: Washington "nightclub impressiario" Marc S. Barnes, as well as his two celebrated establishments, have filed for bankruptcy.
Barnes' flagship Love Nightclub, at 1350 Okie Street NE, as well as his The Park at Fourteenth, went into Chapter 11 last week. So did Barnes and his wife, according to a Washington Post report.
The four-story Love, formerly Dream, has been open since 2001. It was shuttered for three months earlier this year after a non-fatal stabbing inside the club on New Year’s Day. It was the third violent incident to occur at the club over the span of a week. In March, Barnes re-opened the joint, but only for special events.
The bankruptcy filing, the Journal reports, was meant "to ward off their creditors and ensure the pending sale of Love ... goes off without a hitch."
Love, operating as Okie Dokie Inc., is scheduled to appear before the Alcoholic Beverage and Control Board (ABC) next Wednesday for a fact-finding hearing on the sale. Barnes intends to transfer his liquor license to Love Des, LLC, owned by Dean Smothers of The Scene, at 2221 Adams Place in Northeast. Last month, Smothers appeared before the ABC Board over a stabbing that occurred near his establishment on July 2.
The ABC Board has requested the hearing "because of the previous history of Love, they want to make sure that the new operator is prepared to operate a venue of that size," says ABRA spokesperson Bill Hager. If the transfer goes smoothly, Smothers plans on keeping the original trade name, Love.
Love Nightclub Files for Bankruptcy, on Sale was originally published by Washington City Paper on Aug. 5, 2010.
