Old Town Scottsdale clubs close for 2nd time during COVID-19 pandemic, some for violations
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Night clubs in Old Town Scottsdale have decided to close their doors temporarily after many received final notices to comply with social distancing orders.
On Friday, the usual lively block is silent. You would never know it was a Friday night because instead of loud music and young people clubbing, you can now find locks on doors and no soul in sight.
"It’s sad, it’s really sad to see everything so dead," said Bill and Laurie, visitors who flew in from Chicago to celebrate their anniversary.
The couple had no idea they were arriving to a deserted entertainment district.
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"We came here specifically because everything was open. We live in Chicago. Chicago was shut down and we came to Arizona because it was open and to our surprise, it is not open," they said.
The closures come after Governor Doug Ducey’s press conference Thursday, labeling some of the bars and clubs in the area as "bad actors."
He says they failed to comply with social distancing guidelines and received charges and/or warnings.
As a result, Riot Hospitality Group decided to close three of their night clubs and Evening Entertainment Group followed suit by closing their night clubs, too.
"It hurts, it hurts all the way around," said Ray Ladewig, the executive chef at Amici Marketplace, located right next door to the clubs.
He says these closures are a big hit to his business.
"We get a lot of late night business after the night clubs finish here in Old Town and we get a lot of foot traffic here in Old Town,” Ladewig said.
He's now dealing with round 2 of a shut down in this area. He does hope people will still come by to support the business.
“It was picking up, it wasn’t great, but it was picking up and now it’s closed again. We see tumbleweeds blowing down the street," Ladewig said.
Spokespeople for some of the clubs say they will at least be closed through the weekend and Maya Day and Nightclub say they will be closed through July 4th weekend.