VENTURA : Manager to Close Mayfair Theatre
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The manager of the Mayfair Theatre, a Ventura nightspot for teen-agers, said Tuesday that he will close the venue’s doors for the last time May 7 because of disputes with the property owners.
“We haven’t been serving any concessions over the last three or four months and that’s thousands of dollars we’ve been losing,” said Chris Schertzer, who opened the club last year.
“The concession counter itself, the sinks, floor drain and tiling, there are a lot of little things he refuses to repair or update,” Schertzer said.
The property at 793 E. Santa Clara St. is owned by the Tate Living Trust of Los Angeles and managed by the Starplex Cinema Group, also of Los Angeles. No one at the Starplex office Tuesday would discuss the upcoming vacancy.
The youth nightspot has had problems since health officials inspected the site three or four months ago, Schertzer said.
“When we moved into the building, the health department came in and checked the place out and they said, ‘We’re sorry, but you can’t serve cappuccino here,’ ” Schertzer said. “I would like to stay in the building if they could make it viable. But it’s in such bad condition it’s not a place you could open for business.”
The Ventura Planning Commission, responding to numerous complaints about loud and disruptive theater patrons, last month placed Schertzer on probation instead of revoking his use permit. Officials at the Elks Lodge just up the street, which offers Friday night bingo games, said things have quieted down since the public hearing March 9.
Meanwhile, Schertzer is saving his money and scouring Ventura for an alternate site.
“That is my main objective, to stay in Ventura,” he said.
“We’re going to look into some warehouse space and possibly get some community-donated contractors to do the improvement.”
The former disc jockey said he also was investigating the possibility of forming a nonprofit corporation to operate the theater to become eligible for grants.
Schertzer hopes to reopen at another site as soon as possible.
“I’m saving all my money for moving capital,” he said. “Summer’s coming.”
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