After five years, the Get Down, a dance club and lounge in Fells Point, will close after a final party on Aug. 1, owner Bryan Burkert said Wednesday.
Burket said the decision was not based on profitability, as the club — which operates Thursday-Saturday nights — is "not a failing business." Instead, its owner said he is simply in search of a new challenge.
"We just had a great Saturday night, so it's not like it's not working as a concept. I'm ready to do something else creatively," Burkert said. "Five years for a club like that — that's creative and new and fresh — is a long time."
In a sea of sports bars and pubs, the Get Down stands out in Baltimore. Designed by Scott Chmielewski, the impressive LED lighting, sound system and overall look of The Get Down proved ownership cared about sound quality, space and the dance music fan's experience.
"I always try to make spaces that aren't just another version of your basement," Burkert said.
The sustained popularity of electronic dance music (EDM) — the wide-ranging genre the Get Down specializes in — makes it a potentially curious time to end the Get Down, but Burkert said the decision falls in line with his business philosophy.
"I think I can do something different with the space," he said. "I tend to get ahead of the curve, or I hope I get ahead of the curve. I think EDM is growing, but so are all the festivals and big events. Sometimes those can take away from a weekend."
The effects of five years of use are beginning to show inside, Burkert said. "Sound starts to go. Lights start to go," he said. Rather than renovate, he is moving on.
It is too early to tell what will come next in the South Bond Street location, Burkert said, but he is currently "throwing around a lot of ideas and taking everything into consideration." (Before the Get Down it was Fletcher's.) He owns the building and the liquor license, and does not feel rushed to immediately jump into the next project. As of now, he is mostly concentrating on The Get Down's final month.
"I'm trying to focus on the next 30 days at the Get Down for my staff and for everybody else," Burkert, who also owns The Rockwell and the record store Sound Garden, said. "We're going to go out on own terms."
Details for Aug. 1's final hurrah, which Burkert first announced on Facebook on Wednesday, are still in the planning stages, but Burkert promised a memorable goodbye.
"It's going to be pretty epic," he said. "There's no reason I shouldn't throw everything at it to just a throw an amazing party."
The decision to end the Get Down this summer is not a sad moment, but a proud one, Burkert said. The club consistently booked strong DJs, he said, and carved out a loyal space in a neighborhood more known for traditional bars than dance clubs.
"It was something surreal that took people in a different direction when they got there. It just feels different," he said. "We've thrown some of the best parties I've ever been to. … It was surreal in there a lot of nights."
Read The Sun's review of the Get Down from July 2010 here.