A 31-year-old Sydney nightclub and cocktail bar has been forced to close its doors.
Jonathan Lane, the owner of Baker Lane in Cronulla, tells Nine’s ‘Today’ show that a lack of rental protection and financial support sealed the venue’s fate – this comes as Sydney enters a seventh week of lockdown.
“Although NSW Government have been giving these financial packages, it is just not enough for a nightclub that's been closed pretty much for 13 months,” Jonathan tells ‘Today’. “The first lockdown, we did have a bit of a fail-safe with landlords and the moratorium. The second one, some landlords seem to be able to do what they want, when they want. There is no real safety net for us.”
The closure of Baker Lane means there’s now no nightclubs in the local area.
Jonathan says the venue team are experiencing lots of mixed emotions, but he plans to re-open on a new premises in the future.
Baker Lane is one of many venues in Sydney – and around the country – that have shut their doors as a result of the pandemic.
“There’s no support,” Jonathan tells 2GB. “It’s a very, very scary future for a lot of these small businesses.”
Baker Lane announces its closure on Instagram (7 August).
Speaking with ABC, Jonathan describes the shutdown as “devastating”.
“It brings us to tears every time we have to move equipment out, the financial burden on me moving forward at the age of 50 […] with putting all my life savings in it, it’s pretty devastating what the future holds and especially when the government aren’t giving us any form of safety net.”
Baker Lane’s Facebook page is being inundated with messages of support throughout the shutdown process.
“So sorry to hear this. I hope you take the time to heal after this loss,” one user said.
“I went there pre-lockdown and was hoping to return. Sorry to hear, such a great place,” posted another.
The team are in the process of moving out, today (10 August) posting that they’re selling some of their lounges and their DJ box. Head to their Facebook page for more info.
