Alvaro Prol was there the day Gastown’s Shine nightclub first opened its doors in 2000, and he’ll be there when the venue closes its doors for good on Sept. 27.
“I was just an event promoter at the time,” says Prol, who, as one of the co-founders of Blueprint, now owns the iconic nightclub.
After a 14-year run, the club will be closed to undergo a complete overhaul, with extensive renovations and a totally new look and layout.
“It’s sad to see it go because it’s such a great space with so many great memories,” says Prol. “But I’m also excited, because I know what’s coming.”
He says Blueprint hopes to reopen the club under a new name before the end of the year.
“We want to create a new nightclub experience in the city,” says Prol. “Just like Shine was when it first opened.”
Blueprint bought the iconic club from Tim Knight in 2012. Blueprint owns and operates 12 venues in Vancouver, including six nightclubs and a handful of pubs. The company has recently expanded into Alberta, where it operates an event production and promotion business in Calgary and Edmonton.
