To start off February, Milwaukee night club scene saw a purge of two popular places. Plum Lounge is no longer there. The same goes for Pub Club. Both places have similar vibes to them. Big dance floor, DJs performing and loud music. Pub Club had a great location for Milwaukee Bucks, Marquette Golden Eagles fans plus anyone at a Fiserv Forum event. Plum also provided the same concept of a nearby club for sports fans and partygoers alike. So why did both shut their doors to start the new year? It might not be profitable to have a nightclub in Milwaukee anymore as sports fans, concert attendees, and normal people are looking for other ideas on the weekends.

Old World Third Street where Pub Club is located plays host to a variety of bars. The competition is absolutely fierce and you have to do something different in order to stand out. The problem that Pub Club ran into is that Red, White, and Blue or RWB, formerly Buckhead’s, has become the most popular bar in the Old World, Water Street area for people of ages 21 to 25. Every Saturday night there are lines out the door for RWB no matter the weather. Pub Club used to have those lines, and the market chose their preferred location. There’s no need for two hence the shutdown that happened last week.

In a way, it shouldn’t surprise us that Plum Lounge is no longer. The night club/hookah bar combo didn’t exactly fit with the Cathedral Square area. But it’s fair to wonder what will actually work in that space? With the copious amount of different bars in the Old World, Deer District, and Water Street area, why would anyone walk or Uber/Lyft to Cathedral Square post-sporting event? It makes no sense. And if it is a regular night out, Cathedral Square does not have the same attractions as the other locations mentioned.

We’ll see if this trend will continue with night clubs or if these are the only two to go in the year 2020. But the scene is off to a rough start.

Charlie.