A popular Dundee bar has announced its permanent closure.
Clarks on Lindsay Street says it is shutting its doors after nine years due to the fallout over coronavirus.
A statement on its Facebook page said: “I’m sad and sorry to let you know that Clarks on Lindsay Street has closed permanently.
“The business has gone into voluntary liquidation.
“As mentioned in a previous post, the Clarks’ vibe and social distancing don’t get along at all and simply can’t be in the same room together. And social distancing doesn’t look like going away any time soon.
“The last 6 months of closure have been difficult and costly and we tried to remain hopeful that we could get back to something close to normal trading sooner rather than later. Lately though, it seemed that the tunnel was getting longer and the light at the end of it getting dimmer.
“In theory, we could have opened up and tried to operate without live music and with much reduced capacity and limited interaction – but that made no real sense.
“Clarks’ trademark was the vibrant, buzzing atmosphere created by great live bands and brilliant audiences. Crowds returned week after week to be a part of this mix. Take away the vital ingredients and you take away the very spirit of the venue.
“To put it another way, you remove the heart and soul – and replace it with a risk assessment.
“For us, it was never gonna work….and was never gonna break even either.
“Clarks opened in August 2011 and, apart from the last 6 months, it has been absolutely brilliant. From the very start, we had loads of help and goodwill from so many……it was as if people really wanted it to work and all pulled in the same direction.
“Maybe they recognised it as a labour of love and so threw some of their own in.
“Thanks to everybody who contributed – too many to mention.
“Thanks to the staff, behind the bar and elsewhere. I often said that if they handled working in Clarks, they could work anywhere. Not sure if that’s a good or bad thing….but it’s true.
“Thanks of course to the music makers, the bands, the djs….the dancers and chancers. The beating heart of the venue.
“Thanks to the behind the sceners…….maybe you were never quite sure what they did for the place but wondered why they always seemed to have drinks vouchers. Often I didn’t really know either.
“I hope that this marks the end of a chapter rather than the end of the story and that we can rekindle the spirit of Clarks in some future project. To that end, let’s keep this page alive and keep in touch.
“Finally, on behalf of management and senior staff Lisa, Kit, Ben, Ruby, Eilidh and both Hs…..THANK YOU and GOOD NIGHT! Scotty.”
