Photo: Axios archives
Roxbury Nightclub will close for good in Uptown on Saturday, June 24.
The announcement that their lease is up came via an Instagram post: “We have five weekends left. Don’t wait,” the post read.
Why it matters: The popular club has been blaring ’80s and ’90s music late-night on 5th Street for 11 years.
- Even though the club doesn’t play today’s top hits, rap or EDM, it’s still one of the most popular nightlife destinations in Charlotte. Nearly everybody has a Roxbury story, and it’s partly because the music they play transcends generations.
“I’m amazed at all of the 20-somethings that invade my club every weekend that enjoy what I’m doing with the old school, retro 80s and 90s,” says the man behind the turnstile, DJ and owner Jody Sullivan.
Zoom in: Sullivan, a native Charlottean, has been DJing for 35 years. “I started DJing at Wingate to pay for school,” he says. He adds that he’s not done yet.
What’s next: I asked Sullivan if there’s a world where the Roxbury returns in any capacity. He said: “I hope so,” and that he has something in the works that he can’t disclose yet.
- In the meantime: “I’ll be in the DJ booth every Friday and Saturday. Entertaining ’til the very last hour,” he says.
The big picture: Charlotte’s nightlife has had a resurgence recently. Six new nightclubs have opened up in the last two years since the pandemic, but the late-night bar scene has gradually shifted south, Axios’ Emma Way and Alexis Clinton pointed out recently.
What they’re saying: We asked our Instagram followers to share their favorite Roxbury memory. Many said “no one remembers their nights at the Roxbury” and “if you can remember Roxbury, you didn’t do it right.” Touché.
Surprisingly, or maybe not, many said they found love on the dance floor:
- “I drunkenly told my now fiancé I loved him for the first time and [it’s] where he asked me to be his gf,” Payton said.
- “First kiss with now spouse,” someone else wrote.
The bottom line: Alexa, play “Closing Time” by Semisonic.
