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The Cellar club at Fairmont Southampton forced to close

Locked out : Left- Dennie O'Connor, owner of The Cellar nightclub and Kenton Trott, Manager.(Photo by Akil Simmons)

A nightclub operator forced to shut down the business by his landlord has been given just three weeks to move thousands of dollars of equipment out of the premises.And The Cellar owner Dennie O’Connor will lose more than $100,000 if he has to remove the state-of-the-art fittings — which include an LED dance floor, 500 gallon fish tank and a crystal chandelier — and put them into storage.Mr O’Connor has run the popular nightspot at the Fairmont Southampton Princess for five years, investing hundreds of thousands of dollars into the concern.But two weeks ago hoteliers informed him that they no longer wanted a club on the property — and gave him just one week to come up with an alternative business plan for the premises.And on March 7 he received another ultimatum from hotel bosses — ordering him to vacate the property by March 28.Mr O’Connor, who worked at the hotel for 12 years before going into business himself, said the hotel was breaking its lease agreement, and that it will be a struggle for him to meet the eviction deadline.“I have a complete club full of lounge items valued at more than $250,000,” Mr O’Connor said.“That will depreciate by at least $100,000 once they’re moved.as hard fixtures cannot be rebuilt, only broking down.”Mr O’Connor added that it will cost $26,000 to put the equipment, which also includes a bar, ice machine, sound system and furniture, in storage.“I have invested more than $450,000 in design and upgrades, all adverts, licensing, and contracts have been signed for this season, individual bookings and Fairmont groups bookings have been confirmed — and then I’m told that I have to move out within 22 days,” he said.“That is going to be a struggle as funds and more time is needed, I don’t understand how one can be treated as such — nothing makes sense.“But closing The Cellar doesn’t just affect me, it affects Bermuda as a whole. I had 11 Bermudian staff, 25 vendors and endless supportive cliental.“I wish Government could step in and question why less entertainment but I am aware that Fairmont holds the Ace of spades in Tourism and I am only a small business.”Yesterday a spokesman for the Fairmont Southampton Princess said it had “been having informal discussions with Mr. O’Connor regarding The Cellar for over a year”.But Mr O’Connor said the popular nightspot’s future was never questioned during any talks with the hotel.“We have had talks, but they were about maintaining a safe environment for our patrons,” Mr O’Connor said.“We never talked about closing The Cellar and definitely nothing about my lease, so it came as a complete shock.“Why would Fairmont continue to book The Cellar with groups until April 2014 if there where ever such talks about closing it down or even changing the use of the space?”Despite the setback Mr O’Connor, who also runs the Cosmopolitan club on Front Street in Hamilton, is determined to stay working in the industry.“The Cellar is not closed for good, only taking a forced vacation,” Mr O’Connor insisted.“I’m definitely hoping to create a similar experience in a tourism environment for locals and island visitors. I am presently still looking.“I am passionate about this island and wanted to expand nightlife. Long after they leave this island, I will still do everything to revitalise Bermuda’s Tourism as it will eventually happen.”