Britain’s oldest Acapulco nightclub famed for its notorious sticky carpet is selling chunks of its vintage flooring for up to £50 a piece.
The Acapulco in Halifax, West Yorks, is getting rid of its distinctive swirly patterned carpet after turning a joke into reality.
So now boozers, who enjoy drinks even cheaper than four decades ago at 75p before 11pm, can now take a little piece of their favourite night spot home with them.
The souvenir section of the sticky rug ranges in price from £5 for an A4-sized piece to £50 for a larger, framed piece.
The club has created a grid-like map so that anyone interested in buying a piece of the carpet can identify the specific spot they would like - including the toilets and worn out sections by the bar.
The original carpet was made in Halifax and was due to be replaced several years ago, but a fire at the club followed by Covid restrictions had pushed the work back.
Owner Simon Jackson, 55, was inspired after hearing a young clubber celebrating his 18th birthday tell how his parents met at the club and his grandmother had worked there.
“To hear this information, it makes us feel proud that we are still in business after generations. This gave us the idea to sell framed pieces of the carpet.
“Maybe this could be a present for your parents or grandparents.
Potentially an anniversary gift for those that met in the Acca or even had their first kiss.”
He confirmed the idea to sell it off started as a “tongue-in-cheek joke” between friends but quickly “snowballed” as word got out.
Within an hour on Wednesday afternoon, the club had sold more than 100 pieces of its carpet.
“It’s gone really, really mental,” he said this week. “
We thought we would be chucking most of it but we’ve had to pull some bits out of the skip, if I’m honest. It’s going great guns.”
He said he had been swamped with emails including from one former customer who said he’d scattered some of his grandmother’s ashes in the club.
So far the sale has raised £1,000 for the local Street Angels charity, which helps homeless people.
Talking about the club’s history on their website it says: “Acapulco Nightclub is the oldest nightclub of the same name in the UK, being open and Called the Acapulco Since 1961.
“Its been entertaining people for almost 6 decades and been in the same spot since before the world put a man on the moon, before colour TV’s and before many people who visits parents were born. Over the years millions of visitors have come for a night out at the ‘Mighty Acca’.”
Future events at the club include a visit from Katie Price and son Harvey next month.
Mr Jackson, 55, first worked at the club in the 1980s, became its owner in 1995 and still works as a DJ there.
“We are one of a few clubs that have survived lockdown and with being the oldest Acapulco in the country, and family-owned, we feel more responsible to keep it going”, Mr Jackson said.
Work to replace the carpet has already started, and is expected to take about two weeks.
For more details, email club@Acapulcohalifax.com.
