NAUGATUCK, Conn. — It’s closing time for 66 Church in Naugatuck.
“It’s a shame. Nice local business. You know you always want to see them succeed,” said Matthew Lyons of Naugatuck.
The announcement was made on Facebook Tuesday that the bar is set to permanently close within the next few weeks.
“It’s just sad to see a good place like this go down,” said Edward Petro, a 66 Church bartender.
Staff there point to ongoing construction of Church Street, a one-way that typically offers ample on-street parking, as a blow to customer flow, and one of several factors leading to the closure.
“The price of living has just gone up tremendously. Food costs, to paying our employees, and the construction down here is really not helping us out,” said Kameron Dominic, general manager of 66 Church.
“The construction’s sitting right out our front door, and for a place that opens up at noon and construction doesn’t end until like 3:30 or 4:00 p.m., sometimes 5:00, you cut literally half our day,” added Petro.
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Back in July, the same owners permanently closed their Southington business, 75 Center, after a violent brawl there resulted in two injured bouncers, three arrests and a revoked liquor license.
“It was our sister, like we supported each other financially so to have two thriving businesses to only having one surviving business that was really hard financially as well,” said 66 Church manager, Cassie Rogers.
Though it’s the end of the road for 66 Church, owners say “something new” is coming to the space next year.
In the meantime, patrons and staff reminisce on nearly a decade’s worth of memories.
“It’s definitely really hard; I’m really close with the owner Johnny, and this place literally changed my life for the better,” said Rogers.
“It’s a long road, and you know downtown Naugatuck for a long time had no real draw. This place was the original draw downtown, drawing people so it’s just a shame to see it go, and I’m looking forward to seeing the developments that come up in the future,” said Lyons.
FOX61 reached out to Naugatuck Mayor Pete Hess for comment on the closure of 66 Church, along with the ongoing construction project on Church Street.
Hess explained that the project includes replacement of antiquated city water pipes and storm water pipes from the 1800’s, among other improved amenities.
While adding that the city is making efforts to avoid inconvenience, Hess said the construction is long overdue and is actually on an expedited timeline to revitalize and improve the downtown area.
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Kaelee Collins is a multimedia journalist for FOX61 News. She can be reached at kcollins@fox61.com. Follow her on X, and Instagram.
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