Marcos Mendez of Normal loved to perform at Nightshop.
"It was the place to be able to go do that, where you have that little bit of a professional experience, right here locally,” Mendez said. “You didn’t have to travel. You could stay home with the kids, stay home with the wife and not have to do that big traveling thing.”
Mendez fashions himself as a weekend warrior on the guitar. Inspired by the likes of Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, Mendez was a regular at Nightshop, playing his brand of country, blues, Americana and roots rock.
Sometimes, Mendez played to a big crowd. Other times not. He didn't care. He just wanted to play. He played at Nightshop often.
Mendez is the kind of performer who could have a harder time finding an audience now that Nightshop is closing.
When it opened in 2018, Nightshop presented itself not only as a live music destination but also a bar and restaurant — specializing in vegetarian options, still somewhat rare for Bloomington-Normal.
Above all, it was about the music.
Nightshop became a rare venue for metal bands and for hip-hop artists in Bloomington-Normal — acts like DaZ Exotic. That's Brandon Beck's stage name. The Bloomington native said he loved playing at Nightshop early on.
“They are one of the best venues to artists that exist when they are at their best,” Beck said.
Nightshop had two performance spaces, one outdoors. Beck said Nightshop provided a professional sound setup. It was an easy plug-in-and-play for artists.
That didn't last.
Beck said at more recent shows, there were audio problems and staff on one occasion tried to shortchange him on money.
“My last experience there was not positive,” Beck explained. “I literally left there being like, this place is over.”
Owner Chris Golwitzer explained in an interview with WGLT after the story's initial publication that he was out of town the night of that performance, but he said multiple staff members told him Beck was inappropriate toward Nightshop staff and said several performers told Nightshop staff they believed Beck was not going to pay them, so Nightshop staff had to intervene.
There were other issues, too. Nightshop faced online allegations of abuse and harassment.
The business responded by putting in new protocols for the safety of customers, staff and performers. Those included anti-harassment training for staff, enforcing a rule against drinking on the job, and providing drug test strips for drinks.
In 2022, Nightshop even tried to publicly halt the damage in a social media post that said, "We are committed to taking any and all complaints seriously and investigating with the aid of neutral, unrelated parties. We will deal with them as quickly as possible and rectify any inappropriate conduct."
Golwitzer said Nightstop opened with a "dream to create a modern venue to feature musicians of all genres."
As for problems reported at the venue, Golwitzer said he and the staff tried to learn from mistakes, created new policies and removed some staff.
"Personally I apologize if my leadership was not enough. I have been heavily reflecting, and I never meant any disrespect or harm towards others. I sincerely, heavily regret if anyone feels slighted in any manner," Golwitzer said in an email to WGLT. He added he was proud of how Nightshop provided stages for thousands of acts over its nearly seven years in business.
As for why the venue closed, a social media post from Nightshop cited "an ongoing downturn in the downtown Bloomington economy."
Singer-songwriter Sara Quah of Normal played at Nightshop many times. Her experience was — in one word — “wonderful.”
“This was really a dream come true for most musicians in town, a stage dedicated for bands to come in, plug in and play,” said Quah, adding not only was setup easy, but the business also treated performers the right way.
“I always felt valued when I was in that place, and it’s a very hard-to-find feeling when you are a performer,” she said.
Another music venue is gone
Nightshop is not the only venue no longer available for local bands who want a dedicated space to make music.
The Coffeehouse in Uptown Normal stopped hosting live music last year when owners complained about property damage after performances. The Stable Music Hall in downtown Bloomington closed. It's now a beer hall. And the ComeTogetherSpace near downtown is no more.
There are still other intimate venues in town, though only a few are better than a PA system in the corner.
Mendez said there also are a lot more bands looking for a place to play.
“Over the last several years, the music scene here in Bloomington-Normal has just, as far as a I can tell, exploded,” Mendez said. “A lot more musicians are out there playing.”
Not all those musicians are local. Beck isn't local anymore, but he kept coming back.
“It is sad. I live in Atlanta, Georgia, and I will drive to Bloomington to do a show because of the culture of Nightshop,” Beck said.
Beck, Mendez, and Quah say the culture of Bloomington-Normal's music scene needs an infusion of new ideas to find the kind of space Nightshop provided for indie, hip-hop, startup, and even metal performers.
“It’s pretty sad. I think it’s going to be impossible to replace immediately,” Quah said.
Quah, Beck, and Mendez all say they can do more house concerts and do-it-yourself shows, but they feel the community needs to assess how much it values their music.
Beck said creativity, support and diversity can bridge the gap that is missing in Bloomington-Normal’s music scene.
“Let’s create nights of feelings, ‘cause all anybody wants is to feel or to escape a feeling,” Beck said.
Nightshop's final shows are Friday and Saturday night with a mix of late-night music and comedy.
Golwitzer said he's not sure what lies ahead for him.
"I hope that mid-level and smaller touring acts can still find places to perform in these twin cities. I believe in our creative community, and I look forward to seeing what is next," he said.
