PHOENIX — ‘Thundercat Lounge, the 80s-early 90s dance club concept in Downtown Phoenix, that opened in January has permanently closed its doors as of Tuesday, November 26.
Over the past months, the venue is said to have hosted more than 200 events. The remaining events that were programmed for the month of December will now be hosted at 'Thunderbird Lounge,' which is another Valley concept of the owners.
Jeremiah and Jake, owners, posted the following statement on Instagram regarding the sudden closure of their business venture.
We were born in the 80’s. We grew up watching Star Wars, Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, and Saved by the Bell. Our first jobs were at the mall. From our very first concept as “Barteurs,” we always wanted to open an 80s-themed bar. It’s in our blood. It’s who we are.
Over the last year, we have had the pleasure of hosting over 275 events. Including Sold Out events for: Urban Heat, Dave Parley, Nasaya, The Halluci Nation, Darius, Com Truise, One More Time, Hot Chip, Lumasi, WonkyWilla, and Slow Magic, as well as countless dance nights! From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!
Unfortunately, we encountered setbacks that were beyond our control, and stalled some of our buildouts, such as our Blade Runner inspired Private Karaoke Room. It has not been an easy run for us, and coupled with inflation, 2024 has been a challenging year for restaurants, bars, and concerts in general. We have all seen countless restaurants and bars that we love close this year. Sadly, we are now one of them. So, with a heavy heart, as of today, Thundercat Lounge will be closed.
We are going to take this time to focus on our families & our first concept, Thunderbird Lounge- which continues to be an icon in the Phoenix landscape and beyond. Those who were excited about Thundercat Lounge’s December events will still have something to look forward to as they will be moved to @thunderbirdloungephx . We expect to see you there for a drink or two.
So long, and thanks for all the fish.
Jeremiah & Jake
Thundercat Lounge had opened in a historic building on Van Buren in Phoenix, which prompted several renovations to the location.
Jeremiah J. Gratza, co-owner, had shared with ABC15 before the opening of the club that they had worked for quite some time to make the concept into a reality.
“We've spent about a year and a half on design blueprints, working with immersive companies. I really wanted to make this as close to Meow Wolf as we can in Phoenix here. I really want it to be as fully immersive and Instagrammable/TikTok as possible for everyone. So, our patio, we've got hot pink AstroTurf, we've got green blocks, we're going to have creeping ivy growing on the walls,” said Gratza.
