Andy Poolhall closes after over a decade on College St.

Sad news for Little Italy locals and Toronto dance-party veterans: Andy Poolhall, the retro College St. lounge and party venue at College and Markham, has shut its doors after 11 years (and more if you count its time as Ciao Edie). Owners Michael Sweenie and Scott Lane have elected to close the bar to seek "change, new challenges and new adventures", according to a statement on the bar's Facebook page, written by Denise Benson, a longtime resident DJ at the club.

Ciao Edie opened back in 1998 in the space next door to what would eventually be Andy Poolhall, setting itself apart through its retro decor and eclectic slate of dance parties and DJ nights. Sweenie boasted that it was one of the first bars to extend queer-focused parties past the Church St. strip; its Here Kitty Kitty party for queer women ran for 10 years. In 2007, the owners merged both bars into one gigantic, red-upholstered, modernist space in 2007. Most recently, the bar was host to the monthly Cherry Bomb party, which rammed the dance floor the third Saturday of each month.

Sweenie notes that talks with "potential partners" are underway, but for now, those funky, retro lighting fixtures remain dark. RIP, Andy Poolhall.