Oxnard Levity Live Comedy Club and the adjacent Copper Blues Rock Pub & Kitchen at The Collection in Riverpark will permanently close Aug. 17, affecting 69 workers.
The comedy club – known for performances from comedians like Ali Wong, Wanda Sykes, Norm Macdonald and Patton Oswalt – and adjacent bar and restaurant filed its Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice with the state June 17. The closure is listed under Comedy Club Oxnard LLC, 591 Collection Blvd.
“They have been a great addition to our community, bringing big-name performers to Oxnard,” said Andy Conli, president and CEO of the West Ventura County Business Alliance. “They were part of the community, and we held a number of events there as well, so it wasn’t just a comedy club. I know other businesses held events there as well, so it is a loss.”
Conli said his organization was informed June 16 that the business would not renew its membership and that “someone can put two and two together.”
The WARN Act requires employers with 75 or more employees to provide notice of a layoff affecting 50 or more workers within a 30-day period, a plant closure or a relocation of operations, according to the state.
The Oxnard venue is part of the Improv comedy club chain, which includes locations in Hollywood, Brea, Ontario, Irvine, San Jose, Washington, D.C., Chicago and Denver, according to its website. Phone messages and emails left with the comedy club and cantina were not returned before publication.
Oxnard Levity Live and Copper Blues opened July 27, 2016, and the lease expires July 31 of this year, said Jennifer Duarte, director of property management for CenterCal Properties LLC, whose portfolio includes The Collection at RiverPark, in a June 26 email.
“They have extended their lease into August, but a closing date isn’t available at this time,” Duarte said.
Before the comedy club and cantina occupied the space, the tenant was Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill, which operated there from May 29, 2014, to May 10, 2015, she said.
While there are no specific plans for the property, “we’re excited about what’s ahead for the space and look forward to sharing more details as plans develop,” Duarte said.
Abel Magaña, executive director of the Downtown Oxnard Improvement Association, said June 25 he had not heard about the closure.
“That’s a shock,” he said. “I see their posts on social media, and it looked by all accounts things were going great. It’s part of a sign of the stress in the larger economy. There are challenges for businesses, both big and small.”
Oxnard comedian Denise Carter, set to perform at 7:30 p.m. July 2 at the comedy club with Oxnard Mayor Luis Mc Arthur as one of the opening acts, said she hopes people will always remember the venue.
“It was the one place where we would get L.A. type of talent that would come here and some of the talented folks from YouTube coming to Oxnard,” said Carter who also ran an open mic at Copper Blues.
The closure is a “huge hit” to the local economy, the employees who work there and audiences who watched comedians and actors from outside the area, Carter said.
Events are still listed on the Oxnard Levity Live and Copper Blues websites beyond the Aug. 17 closure date.
According to a location-closure notice provided by the state from Levity Live’s human resources department, the action is classified as a permanent closure and cessation of operations at Oxnard Levity Live and Copper Blues.
Employees may be eligible for unemployment insurance benefits, according to the notice.
Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com, 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Oxnard comedy club, adjacent restaurant to close. Here’s what to know
Reporting by Wes Woods II, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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By Wes Woods II, Ventura County Star | USA TODAY Network
