An entertainment industry veteran who watched the rise and fall of the Flats has opened a nightclub inside the historic Centrum Theatre in Coventry Village. He believes it can add to entertainment options in the community and help bring the venue back to life.

Mike Mercer, who ran Club Coconuts and Howl at the Moon on the West Bank, among other properties, recently opened Club Centrum inside the theatre. The property is owned by TRK LLC, a development company based in Columbus. The owners have put $3.5 million into the property since they purchased it in 2007.

"Thursday is 18 and over college ID night, and that has been tremendously successful with Case, John Carroll and Notre Dame students," says Mercer, who opened the venue in mid-February. "We're making use of the 50 by 50 theatre screen and bringing that back to life. We put in a brand-new DJ booth and probably have $100,000 in light and sound -- it's pretty spectacular."

The video dance club is open Thursday to Saturday from 9 p.m. until 2 a.m. There is a large dance floor and raised areas for the exhibitionists. The screen offers an added element of fun (think dancing in front of a 50-foot Diana Ross).

"I'm happy to be coming home to an area like Coventry Village, where there's so much fun to be had," says Mercer, a Cleveland Heights native. "We saw this as a missing element that would help to take the area to another level."

The property previously housed a Johnny Malloy's that closed after several years. Fracas, a white-tablecloth restaurant, attempted to make a go of it but closed after six months.

Mercer claims that he will avoid the pitfalls that beset so many other clubs by maintaining a strict attitude towards security and a proactive stance with the Cleveland Heights police. "I meet with the chief's office every single week."

The developers have also brought back to life the Centrum Theatre marquee, investing $10,000 -- $5,000 in light bulbs alone -- in its restoration.

Source: Mike Mercer
Writer: Lee Chilcote