The Chinatown nightclub and art space thirtyninehotel, which officially opened in August 2004, has closed.
The club’s last night was Saturday, when thirtyninehotel hosted the monthly dance night "Revival." Patrons and fans weren’t informed that it was the last night for the bar and gallery.
Owner Gelareh Khoie said she began moving items out of the club Sunday. Reached by phone Monday, she said difficulties in obtaining city permits for a planned renovation, the sale of her family’s home in Honolulu and her desire to move on and turn her attention back toward her work as a visual artist were factors in the decision to close.
"I feel we achieved what we said we’d achieve," Khoie said.
"After close to 10 years, I don’t feel I’ve abandoned anyone or left anything unfinished."
Thirtyninehotel was launched as an art gallery and space for dancing to DJ music, and was built up from the bare walls by a group of friends.
Khoie, a painter and multimedia artist whose work has been exhibited throughout Honolulu, including the Honolulu Museum of Art’s "Artists of Hawaii," is also a devotee of dance music. She envisioned the space as a home for both forms of expression.
"We were really part of First Friday," Khoie said. "With that big gallery space and the edginess of a second-floor loft, it had a definite impact. … I remember on our first First Friday, 400 people came in, and everyone’s jaws just hit the ground."
Khoie’s long-term partner in the venture has been Fatemeh Hajiani, who will also be relocating with Khoie. "She’s been the No. 1 person who kept everything legal and operational," Khoie said.
Hajiani dealt with the financial and bookkeeping requirements of running a business while also serving as a sounding board, mentor and friend to thirtyninehotel’s artists, staff and friends.
Although Khoie and Hajiani had previously planned to expand the kitchen, add a rooftop garden and improve the dance floor, Khoie said an additional permit requirement — that the club add sprinklers to protect against fire hazard — would have cost about $70,000, using up most of the budget for a renovation.
After her landlord imposed a deadline for the work to be completed, and the club moved to a month-to-month lease, the owners ultimately decided to pull the plug.
Khoie has been exploring opportunities in New York, where she has applied for graduate studies in art. She plans to continue to host music and art events in New York, she said — but not to run a nightclub.
New ventures are expected in the district. "I think Chinatown is in great shape," Khoie said, noting the expected Feb. 7 opening of Fresh Cafe Downtown, which coincides with First Friday.
"I’m sure whoever takes over the space will do something interesting, too. But it’s not going to be thirtyninehotel anymore. It’s going to be something different."
