Stockport town centre is set to suffer a blow to its nightlife following the announcement that two bars on the Market Place have closed for good.
Last night, bar owner Joseph Patten confirmed that both Doctor Feelgood on the Market Place and The Glass Spider on Vernon Street would cease trading, citing rising costs and a challenging lack of demand as the reasons behind the decision. Dr Feelgood, a popular music venue and bar, made waves when it opened in July 2021 thanks to its brightly coloured burgers and commitment to establishing itself as the home of live music in Stockport.
Meanwhile, The Glass Spider, a Victorian craft beer and luxury spirits bar, opened in August 2020, and took over from Vinabod Tapas Bar - Stockport's short-lived Viking-themed restaurant. The Victorian-style swing bar was the second bar venture from Patten following the launch of The Cracked Actor on Lower Hillgate in 2019. To date, he has opened four bars in the town, his most recent being Glitch, a games bar on Prince's Street which opened in December.
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Taking to Instagram to announce the news, Patten first confirmed that Dr Feelgood would be closing and paid tribute to his customers and team, saying he 'couldn't be more proud' of what they have achieved during their tenure.
"It was my absolute dream to bring live music back to the marketplace. And I've had a blast doing so," he wrote. "We had some absolutely insane artists perform here over the last year and a half...I'm sad we won't be able to carry on bringing you all these crazy gigs and good times.
"Doctor Feelgood was born from a mixture of lockdown and watching The Dirt on repeat on Netflix and a desire to bring a venue that plays rock music through and through...not to mention Kiss on repeat!
"I can't thank all our customers enough for the loyalty through these difficult times! Not to mention our great team that serves you night after night."
Doctor Feelgood has hosted musicians including Bez, Miles Kane, Clint Boon and You Me At Six during their time in Stockport's market place. Patten previously told the Manchester Evening News he hoped to make the venue 'legendary' as quickly as possible.
Fans of the bar have reacted with shock and disappointment, with many of them saying they are 'gutted' by the closure.
"This sucks! I thought Feelgoods had smashed it. It was our fave place in Stockport!," one wrote. "Thought this was going to be a staple for Stockport," another commented.
"I immediately went to check the date of this post to check if it was an April fool," wrote another.
Patten wrote 'rising costs' and 'a lack of people going out spending' were the reasons behind the sudden closure, saying he was 'extremely sad' to announce the news.
Writing a shorter post on The Glass Spider's Facebook page, Patten said it was time to "downsize" to The Cracked Actor and Glitch to "make sure we can get through these challenging times", and thanked everyone for the "fond memories".
"So long Stockport! Here's to round two of today's farewells," he wrote. "Glass spider started out as the sequel to The Cracked Actor. When I had a spring in my step and all the energy in the world.
"Sadly I don't have that any more! So the right thing to do is to pass this lovely unit on to someone who can. If the climate was a little different I'd try again."
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