CLAU to Close?

The Cincinnati Post, the Enquirer, and WCPO all are reporting that Club Clau will close it doors on January 1st.

Rick Bird reports on speculation that this is a PR stunt.

One longtime Main Street club owner, who did not want to be identified, questioned whether the announcement was sincere, suggesting the owners may just want to attract attention to the exclusive club with the intention of relaunching in January.

Club Clau owners and business managers insisted that is not the case, that they want to pursue other marketing and advertising ventures with a possible eye toward opening a new club somewhere in the area next year. Hueser said any new venture would not be in the Sycamore Street location.

This sounds like a big PR stunt to me, but with what purpose? What this likely comes down to is money. When does their lease expire? Are they facing a big rate hike? If they are, then it is understandable why they are closing. Image to this type of business is everything, and if you are perceived to be weak, you lose the image you need.

This way they can reopen at a new location, maybe even expand, and then start with a new model.

This could prove to be a boon to Alchemize and Crush, both places have a different market, but could inherit the buzz as the place to be seen.

UPDATE: Nick Spencer has more.