Did you miss the nightlife? Did you miss the boogie?
While most people remain cautious — with optimism or pessimism at their own discretion — the soft reopening of restaurants and watering holes in Ohio this past Friday, 2020 provided some much needed encouragement after two months of shutdown restrictions from the global coronavirus pandemic.
In this photo taken by Blade photographer Dave Zapotosky on Nov. 3, 1990, a cluster of club-goers congregate conventionally under the crease of light provided by Club Soda’s sign coverage. If only they knew how much any of us would long simply to loiter socially some 29½ years later.
During this early to mid ’90s period, the Blade’s Features Department was high on writing about the nightlife. We seemed to publish a dozen or more stories during the era simply on the fashions and preferences of the scene. Club Soda actually existed as a mid-adult alternative to, as The Blade described it, “... the ’90s invasion of big-haired teens or yuppies in designer suspenders.”
Club Soda opened in May, 1989, and was owned by night spot magnate Kip Diacou, who operated other iconic Toledo dance floors like Club Bijou, Prime Time, and more.
Maybe you also recognize the extra cash in your pocket from going out so much less. But patronizing does help the greater good. At least it helped Mr. Diacou. When neighbors of Club Soda began to complain about noise, he was doing well enough to slowly buy surrounding residences. The Blade reported that those homes then held his tenants. “If they complain, I evict them,” he joked.
A quote from Royce Javan, the lead singer in a Detroit-based band, summed up the Club Soda experience, “It’s quiet enough to talk, but intense enough to party.”
As you open your world back up and rejoin sipping sodas in social spaces, remember the night life will always be there. Try to be patient and enjoy the quiet talking before diving headlong to the intense party.
Go to thebladevault.com/memories to purchase more historical photos taken by our award-winning staff of photographers, past and present, or to purchase combinations of stories and photos.
First Published May 18, 2020, 10:00 a.m.
