The Delorean
Audio By Carbonatix
The ’80s are over, and the Delorean has run out of gas.
Scott Happel and Peter Ore opened the ’80s-themed speakeasy at 1753 South Broadway almost two years ago, when the ’80s were making a strong comeback. “We were cruising along, having fun, not making money but not losing,” says Happel. “We were going to give it to the end of the year.”
But then they talked to landlords Paul and Pam Italiano, who’d bought the building that houses the bar as a permanent home for their store FashionNation, which had been located in a rented storefront two blocks up Broadway for decades. While the couple had been happy to have their friends create a bar in leftover space, they now said that if the Delorean’s drivers wanted to call it a day, they could use the room to expand their retail concept.
And after some discussion, Happel and Ore realized they were ready. “I’m sad, but a bit of a relief having one thing off my plate,” says Happel, since that plate also holds three live music venues.
“The music venues are great, but this was our ‘fun’ project,” he notes. “This was our childhood, this was me hanging out in my grandparents’ basement, hanging out with my friends watching MTV.”
While nostalgia has its charms, owning a bar isn’t as much fun as it used to be. “Trump’s economy is not the greatest economy in the world,” Happel says. “And there have been a million articles about how everyone drinks less.”
And so tonight, June 7, will be the bar’s “final countdown” in honor of that classic ’80’s song: We’re leavin’ together/But still it’s farewell/And maybe we’ll come back/To Earth, who can tell?
In the meantime, Happel salutes the staff and all the customers who loved the Delorean. “We’re real proud of what we did with the space,” he says. “It was just time.”
The bar is serving and karaoke starts at 7 p.m. Sunday, June 7, at The Delorean, 1753 South Broadway. Learn more here.
