A popular Belfast bar has opened a new pool room in its former nightclub space to keep up with the changing nightlife industry and the "deteriorating" nightclub scene.
Owners of The Thirsty Goat in Belfast's buzzing Cathedral Quarter have transformed what was once their 21 Social nightclub into an entertainment space with seven tables, a jukebox and full bar.
Michele Downey, PR and Marketing Manager of The Downey Group who owns the bar, told Belfast Live that the shift in the going-out culture in Northern Ireland after the pandemic was one of the main influences for moving away from clubbing at the venue.
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While a pool room is a new venture for The Downey Group's Belfast pubs, which include Kelly's Cellars and McHugh's, Thirsty Goat Manager Neil Stewart said the idea to change up the space was inspired by the success of the company's other venues across NI.
Neil said: "It's something new to us in Belfast, but the group themselves had a venue in Derry where it seemed to work quite well for them.
"They had to pull works up there - we stole the idea and decided to bring it down here whenever we found that our nightclub business had slipped away slightly different to different trends
"We find that our bar and beer garden, not just in this particular venue, but the rest of the venues within the city has grown and grown and become more busy so this is what we think will be the next move for us."
Neil explained that they hope the new space can appeal to more people and not just those looking for a late night club at the weekends.
"It's a bit more casual, a bit more relaxed - we're not limited in this to a particular demographic.
"This is everybody's welcome, whether it be students, whether it be shirts and tie just finishing work, people just coming out for a Saturday afternoon or midweek, hen parties, stag parties.
"Anything where you can enjoy yourself responsibly," Neil explained.
Michele added that the new pool room will have discount days for the likes of students but also those in the hospitality trade across the city to enjoy themselves after work.
She said: "We've transformed the club and feel the space works really well for the pool works.
"We've also been working with the University of Ulster and with Liv student accommodation - there's a big student community in the Cathedral Quarter now and they are such a big presence.
"But we want everyone to come along and enjoy the venue, whether it's a corporate event or just a quick game of pool and a beer after work. We're hoping the space will work well for everyone."
Michele continued: "Covid had a big impact on people's drinking habits, the different venues to go to - the nightclub industry was probably slightly on the deterioration before because bars were opening and beer gardens and then Covid really reinforced that outside spaces.
"Young people seem to prefer that experience than the nightclub scene I grew up in. The nightclub era where that's where you went later on for a drink or where you met somebody, but the whole social aspect even of meeting people has changed too.
"This made us look at what we could do with space instead that still would be a form of hospitality and we knew we had the experience to give this a go and just refresh everything, give it a whole new look.
"It's just a sign of the times and just the way things evolve - that's just the way we've had to roll with it."
Neil and Michele hope those who enjoyed their days dancing at 21 Social can come and see how the place has changed but also welcome new faces to explore a space they might not have known existed.
Neil said: "Everything comes to an end and the response to the poor works has been very good so far.
"A lot of people coming in will remember what it was like before as the nightclub, a lot of people coming in would be fresh-faced and not really know what it was like or what was going on a decade before."
"If these walls could talk," Michele laughed.
"You just have to move the times and keep fresh to stay relevant and I think that's what we try to do as a company."
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