Mount Gambier nightclub Shadows Entertainment Complex has been faced with uncertainty since the COVID-19 pandemic hit and has felt the effects of restrictions first-hand.
The venue closed its doors in March last year and is currently undergoing renovations.
Shadows Nightclub owner Dean Gentile said the decision was made to remain closed because COVID regulations and restrictions made opening “more trouble than what it was worth”.
“I thought it would just cost me more money to open than it would just to stay shut,” he said.
Mr Gentile said there were many expenses to consider when operating a nightclub including security, bar staff, DJ’s, electricity and insurance.
“So you have to weigh it up, whether it would be worth it and how much you’re going to lose,” he said.
“Being shut, you still lose money, but you would not be losing as much as if you were open and you have to pay more.”
Mr Gentile said the venue would re-open with some fresh changes including a full re-paint, new carpet, new lighting and sound, new furniture, booths, a new stage, shifting and upgrade of the downstairs bar and new signage. The bathrooms will also be renovated.
A burst water main last year threw a spanner in the works and caused significant damage and COVID delayed renovations further with wait times for tradesmen, but Mr Gentile said he hoped to re-open at the end of March to early April next year.
“With the damage that occurred and COVID, it’s been hard,” Mr Gentile said.
“It’s sad for the staff as well, because generally the staff I had they’d been working for a long time for me, most of them.
“It’s sad for them because they all had jobs there, all the bar staff, the cleaners, the security, there were probably about 30 people all up that lost their employment.”
Mr Gentile said staffing the venue was another challenge due to unpredictable numbers with restrictions in place.
“Are you going to staff it for 50 people, are you going to staff it for 100, 200 or 300?” he said.
“And then if you staff it for say 200 people and only get 50, that’s where you lose money.”
Mr Gentile said he personally found it wrong that people were allowed to sit next to others in a crowded café with no masks on, but dancing was still not permitted.
“Obviously you get up and wear your mask, but what’s the difference if you’re sitting like that or you’re standing up dancing, there’s no difference,” he said.
Mr Gentile said he understood SA Health had to put the rules in place to help everybody but the situation was still conflicting.
“Whether you want to get it or not, whether you go to a nightclub or you go to a café, you’re still going to catch it, it could be anywhere,” he said.
“I do not really understand the reasoning of not dancing.”
