The lease on Wellington's Club Ivy, Terrace Bar and Garden Club has been sold and the gay venue will move to a new home early next year, with its owner explaining "we get bored easy" as the reason he and his partner have decided it's time for change. Strip outfit Calendar Girls, which also bought former gay bar the Naval and Family on Auckland's Karangahape Rd, is taking over the space at 13 Dixon St in the capital. Club Ivy owner Greig Wilson says under the Wellington City Council district plan there are restrictions on how many strip clubs are permitted on Courtney Place, and 13 Dixon St is just on the boundary of this area so it is the perfect spot for Calendar Girls. "Also, after running live music/event venues for eight years we decided to just focus on Ivy and Terrace Bar," Wilson says. "Leon (My hubby) starts his teaching career next year so it's the perfect timing for us to downsize to two bars. Running the biggest bar in town for almost four years is long enough. We get bored easy." Wilson says the couple's goal is to create the best cabaret bar and alternative nightclub in New Zealand. He says there will be a big focus on its Ivy Cabaret, a corporate entertainment evening designed for group bookings. "The season is sold out this year and we need higher quality space to develop further," he says. "The night club part of the business will see large improvements too including more sound and bigger dance floor." Wilson says the new venue will have cosy spaces, daylight, a bigger dance area, space and a weekly cabaret show on Saturday nights. He adds there will not be two flights of stairs to climb. "The theming will remain the same. We are very excited about this project," he says.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 25th November 2011 - 10:35am