Stella's Music Club Shuts Down For Good Due To The Pandemic

Stella's Music Club is the latest victim of the coronavirus pandemic. The Cleveland Scene reports that it is the first independent music venue to close in Cleveland because of the pandemic.

Club owners announced the shut down on Stella's social media pages. They wrote "We are so saddened to say that as of (Thursday), Stella’s will be shutting it’s doors. We cannot express enough how grateful and honored we are that we got to spend time with you, rock out with you, laugh with you. We will miss our Stella’s family so much."

The venue took a huge financial hit when it temporarily closed in March because of state restrictions. General manager Matthew Jerrell told News 5 in July that Stella's lost $100,000 during its closure and it was out another $75,000 due to damages from the May 30 downtown protests.

Stella's was part of the National Independent Venue Association's Save Our Stages initiative, which about 20 venues in the Cleveland area also joined. NIVA is asking Congress to provide financial aid for small venues since many can't fully open because of local pandemic-related restrictions.

The association also predicts that 90 percent of the nation's small music and entertainment venues will have to close for good without some kind of federal or state help.

Stella's originally opened in 2018 across from Progressive Field. Jerrell described it as a "small venue that caters to musicians in Cleveland." The owners invested in the club's music and sound equipment so that musicians could plug in and play. It also launched its record label in December 2018.

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