As many of-age students know, nightclubs in DeKalb are few and far between.

With that in mind, the temporary, possibly permanent, closing of Detox Nightclub is a shame. Students and residents alike will no longer be able to enjoy a city-like atmosphere in DeKalb.

Detox may become another business that learns a lesson by taking up residence at 1000 W. Lincoln Highway, a location which seems to be the address of doom.

In the past four years, DeKalb has seen the rise and fall of Bar One and The U at DeKalb. Now Detox is in hot water.

On Nov. 6, the club had its Class A Liquor license revoked. That license allows the sale and consumption of alcohol at the establishment and was revoked because the license had not been approved by the city of DeKalb’s liquor commission.

The previous bar, The U, transferred their liquor license to Detox without the liquor commission’s knowledge. At a city of DeKalb liquor commission hearing held on Nov. 12, details about the license surfaced.

The current owner of Detox, Ransey Vasquez, was using the liquor license issued to Anthony Tomkiewicz, former owner of The U. Because Tomkiewicz could not keep up with lease expenses, he could not obtain a renewal of his liquor license.

The confusing details continued to unfold at a Nov. 12 hearing. In order to make the approaching liquor license renewal deadline, Tomkiewicz made an agreement with Vasquez that he would accept 99 percent of the ownership, but the agreement did not specifically declare him the owner.

The sneaky agreement of a 99 percent ownership not only seems like poor business practice, but damages the credibility of the establishment.

It is hard to believe that Vasquez, a business partner and prospective owner of a new nightclub, would want to engage in any risky business transaction. Perhaps he should have taken note of the situation The U was in and sought to make changes to how business should be done. A new location presents a new opportunity for business. Associating with the past doesn’t seem to have many benefits in this situation.

Alas, another establishment falls victim to the wrath of 1000 W. Lincoln Highway. It will be interesting to see if Detox strikes up business again in DeKalb. Hopefully the second time will be a charm.

All comments are moderated before being published. We will not edit your comments, but we also will not approve those that are abusive, off-topic, attack another poster or contain information we know to be libelous or false.

During peak weekday viewing times, most comments will be reviewed within six hours. For more detailed information, click here.

After submitting your comment, check below for a confirmation message.

• Your name:
• Enter text from image:
  

• Your comment:

* 300-character count. HTML formatting will not display.