Luxe Bar, the highly influential Perth venue, is set to close in the coming months after 14 years of operation.
Andy Freeman, who co-owns the bar along with business partner Michelle Mok, said that given the influential role the bar has played in the Perth bar scene — including launching the careers of many successful bartenders and bar operators — that the decision to close was a difficult one.
“We’ve been trying to decide what to do with it for a while, and I guess as a partnership we wanted different things so the logical thing was to move on,” he said. “It wasn’t a lightly taken decision because it’s such an institution. I personally pride myself on being a big part of that, and it’s a bar that’s meant so much to so many people.
“It was the launching pad of Andy McIntyre, Sam Astbury, Georgia Mcdonnell-Adams, Jared Plummer and Cam Northway — you name it, everyone cut their teeth at Luxe that’s come from WA. It’s hallowed ground, it’s a fabric of the institution of hospitality over here,” he said.
That influence has seen Luxe attain a great longevity, having been around at the rebirth of the bartender revival in the early 2000s.
“For the first style bar that was ever in Perth, to have made it to 14 years, is quite a testament,” said Freeman.
The Luxe Bar moniker will be retired with the closure, said Freeman. There are plans to invite former Luxe staff back for one last send-off on their last Monday, with a final date still to be confirmed.
“We’re working to an end-date… and finishing with a crescendo — with a bang. It’ll be more of a celebration than anything else,” he said.
Freeman is looking forward to seeing what a new operator does in the space.
“There’s good things coming,” he said.
Freeman for his part is now focusing on the renovations for his latest venue, the Flour Factory, in the CBD, with its new licence approved and now just awaiting heritage development approval.
“We’ve just got to get this reno done and get it cranked up to 450 person capacity,” he said. Expect to see the revamped Flour Factory unveiled in June.