BANGOR, Maine — After eleven years as Bangor's nightlife destination, Half Acre is closing its doors. Owner Patrick Brann has decided to shut everything down.
The announcement was made Tuesday night on the club's Facebook page, resulting in a flood of comments, both happy and disappointed the club was closing.
Owner Patrick Brann said the decision to close rode on several reasons, but the main one is to simply find something new.
"At 41 years old, not getting home to my family until 3:30 in the morning, that used to not be a problem. It's a problem now," Brann said.
The announcement comes just weeks after Brann agreed to address noise and safety issues with Bangor's city council members.
The city council just reinstated his entertainment license in mid-November.
According to the Bangor Police Department, the news that it's closing means fewer calls in the area.
"It will be a little bit of a relief for a while, that we're not going to go to the issues that were down there," Sergeant Jason McAmbley said.
"It was a real problem. I worked nights for the first couple of years after I got promoted, and [there was] constant presence. If it was open, we were down there," McAmbley added.
Maylinda Boynton, 25, said it's a missed opportunity for the younger demographic, as she used to go to the club with her friends on occasion.
"It's kind of a bummer. As a musical person, that's typically my type of scene," Boynton said. "There are lots of bars and great restaurants, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But it is nice to have that different environment.”
Harmony Ingraham of Greenbush said she went to the club back in 2017, and after an unpleasant experience, she hasn't gone back.
"Overturned drinks, chairs, and such. And at that point, we decided to leave, and I actually have never gone back," Ingraham said.
"I never understood why it was as dangerous as it was, but frankly I'm glad to see it go," Ingraham added.
Brann said he has no plans to pass along the club to new management.