Eleven Dive Bar music venue closes on Sunshine Coast as proprietor blames leaking roof, COVID-19

A well-liked Sunshine Coast stay music venue has shut its doorways amid ongoing points with the constructing and COVID-19’s lasting impact on the business.

Eleven Dive Bar proprietor Aaron Crump stated he and his associate Danielle Stafford made the “very tough determination” over the Christmas break, after pouring all the things into the enterprise.

“Not solely financially, however emotionally … my stepson and I, we constructed that place,” Mr Crump stated.

“We turned it from an outdated Money Converters constructing that sat dormant for years.

“All the things inside we constructed with minimal commerce … there is a truthful quantity of my blood, sweat and tears in there.”

Mr Crump stated the roof had leaked since they took on the tenancy, and the problem had not been resolved three years on regardless of “fixed communication” with their landlord, the Queensland Funding Company (QIC).

The ABC has contacted the state government-owned QIC for remark.

There was a ‘large gap’

Mr Crump stated the leaking roof had price his enterprise upwards of $150,000.

“We had an enormous storm a few 12 months in the past,” he stated.

“A lot water got here by means of … it wrecked the disabled bogs.

Mr Crump described it as being “like a swimming pool” that pressured him to close the venue and “cancel gigs”.

“There was a large gap,” he stated.

“They fastened that part however then after that it simply by no means went away till very not too long ago once they did some work, and it appears to have put a plaster solid on it, moderately than only a bandaid.”

Pandemic impacts nonetheless being felt 

It’s the second stay music venue to close on the Sunshine Coast in as many months, with NightQuarter at Birtinya shutting its doors in late November, blaming pandemic pressures.

Eleven Dive Bar opened in March 2020, which meant it didn’t qualify for state authorities COVID-19 monetary help packages.

“All the grants acknowledged that you simply needed to be in enterprise earlier than March 2020 … after we opened there was no speak of vaccines and masks mandates and all that kind of stuff,” Mr Crump stated.

Whereas pandemic restrictions had been lifted, he stated it had “modified the panorama” for stay music, with individuals nonetheless leaving it to the final minute to buy tickets.

“Since COVID, ticket gross sales can be nearly nothing till 48 or 24 hours earlier than a present as a result of no person would wish to lay out any more cash for a ticket to a present that they do not know goes to go forward,” Mr Crump stated.

“And it is modified the cancellation insurance policies of bands.

“They will pull out each time they suppose they don’t seem to be going to promote sufficient.”

A ‘gut-wrenching’ second

Mr Crump stated it was “gut-wrenching” to tell his 10 workers members of the closure.

“They’re our individuals, they’re into various music, we gave them leeway to be who they’re,” he stated.

Mr Crump stated he hoped it was not the tip of the bar, which had attracted worldwide acts and offered a much-needed platform for brand spanking new and present bands.

“In the mean time it is simply tapped us out,” he stated. 

“I might like to have the doorways open … I like what Eleven stands for and I am pleased with the place we acquired to with no assist in anyway.

“Because it stands in the mean time, I simply do not know.”