Two local concert venues and bars in Fort Worth, Twilite Lounge and Lola’s, announced they are closing their doors permanently.
Twilite Lounge announced Nov. 30 on its Facebook page it would close its doors at 212 Lipscomb St. in the Near Southside neighborhood Dec. 5. The bar opened in 2017 and hosted events such as comedy open mics, drag shows and concerts. The venue had a decent rebound following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Jimmy Morton, owner and operator, said.
This year, sales dropped. Sales over the summer months slowed, he said, and never picked up in the fall.
“Bills only tend to increase,” Morton said. “Cost of goods and everything like that is higher than usual. The budget plan we made a while back, it’s just not working anymore.”
The business, which relies on a mix of happy hour and live music patrons, stopped serving food due to high prices and lower demand in the summer.
“Unfortunately, people just aren’t showing up for live music like they used to,” Morton said.
Another concert venue, Lola’s Fort Worthannounced Dec. 4that it closed after 16 years in business. The business moved from the West 7th neighborhood to its location on 2000 W. Berry St. last year. It did not disclose a reason for closing.
Lola’s issued a statement to Fort Worth Report that it thanks Fort Worth for the years of business, but did not offer further comment.
Fort Worth comic and CEO of Claws Out Media and Entertainment, MONNA,has hosted a weekly comedy open mic event at Twilite Lounge since 2017 and said the closures are a devastating loss for Fort Worth. Comedians such as Ralph Barbosa, who now has a Netflix comedy special, have performed for free at the lounge.
“I think it’s fair to say we thought those would be the safest places that would weather the storm,” MONNA said. “And instead, those are the first places that are closing their doors. So I think that’s really been a shock to the community.”
Seth Bodine is a business and economic development reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at seth.bodine@fortworthreport.org and follow on Twitter @sbodine120.
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