AUBURN – Paul Morency is not singing the blues.
Quite the contrary.
The owner of the Midnight Blues Club and Restaurant is upbeat and excited. Friday he opens a new blues club in Waterville, a fraternal twin to the Auburn business he’s run for more than four years.
“We’re trying to create exactly the same atmosphere,” said Morency of the Waterville location.
There are already plenty of similarities. The new club is housed in a historic brick downtown building off Main Street. It, too, will have a restaurant and live blues club on the first floor and a DJ, hip-hop club downstairs. Paint and decor will be the same, as will the menu. The Waterville club will even have cafe tables outside.
“Waterville just did a major improvement on Silver Street and reduced the street to one way and extended the sidewalks,” said Morency, an improvement that allows for plenty of room for al fresco dining.
The 10,000-square-foot club, formerly the Silver Street Tavern, will employ 50 people. Morency said the city has been extremely welcoming toward him and his business – as have the other restaurant owners nearby. He said it’s not that uncommon. He was glad to see Gritty’s brew pub open across from him in Auburn this summer.
“It’s good for the downtown; in fact we’d like to see a few more places open,” said Morency of his neighborhood. More eating and entertainment options mean more people will come downtown. He’s seen his business pick up 25 percent since Gritty’s opened.
“We’re dubbing ourselves the New Port’,” joked Morency, a twist on Portland’s nightclub district.
Morency said he’d been thinking of expanding for a while and wanted a certain type of building. When the Waterville property came on the market, he decided the time was right. The Silver Street Tavern operated for 25 years before closing this year.
It’s likely to be the first of many new expansions for the Midnight Blues Club and Restaurant. Morency said he hopes to open eight more within five years.
“If it’s a huge success with two clubs, why not 10?” he asked.
He has a building under contract now in Sanford. Morency said one advantage of having a chain of clubs is having a ready-made circuit for the blues musicians who come to Maine to play.
“When an artist wants to tour, he likes to arrange several gigs back-to-back in neighboring towns,” said Morency.
Morency was drawn to the Waterville area because it’s beginning to see a lot of economic investment. And there are a number of blues club customers from that area who come to Auburn.
“They say they love my club, but not the drive,” said Morency. “That’s really the inspiration.”
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