Firefly Club Closed, Assets Seized
A handwritten sign at the entrance to the Firefly Club apologizes for the closing. (Photo by the writer.)
The Firefly Club, a jazz and blues nightclub at 637 S. Main, was closed down by the state last night and its assets seized for unpaid sales taxes. Owner Susan Chastain told The Chronicle that her bank account and other assets have been frozen as well, because she was unable to make full payments to the state over the past two months on a debt of $120,000 – an amount in arrears for assessed sales tax dating back several years.
“We’ve always struggled,” Chastain said. It’s historically been difficult for blues and jazz clubs, she added, but the economic downturn has made it even more difficult to keep up.
Chastain opened the Firefly nine years ago at 209 S. Ashley, where the Bird of Paradise, a now defunct jazz club, had been located. Recordkeeping problems – dating back to the club’s opening – caused the state to assess the Firefly’s sales tax, plus penalites and interest, at about $160,000 several years ago. Chastain said that about three years ago her current accountant negotiated a payment plan, and she started sending the state $2,000 each month to put toward the unpaid sales tax. [Full Story]