Electricity will continue to flow through the neon lights of The Laboratory thanks to donations from community members.
The bar, at 818 W. University Ave., suffered a “horribly wretched” summer that left Larry Bruce, the owner, about $1,500 in debt.
Bruce, 42, said he had budgeted for the summer. He knew about the inevitable summer slump when students clear out of Gainesville.
But this summer was slower than the past two years, and the electricity bill was higher than usual, he said. His summer budget was gone by May.
“Don’t own a small business during a recession,” he joked.
To make up the difference, he reached out to patrons for donations and set up an online contribution site. Now, he said, he has enough money to pay the electric bill.
“We’ve had such a positive feedback from customers and friends,” he said. “There is great sense of community.”
The online donations page has since been taken down, because the electric bill has been paid, Bruce said.
He said he’s seen several restaurants come and go in the area, especially because the block gets skipped over for business when people head to Midtown or downtown.
The bar was still about $600 short of being fully restocked Wednesday. Some of the money for the electricity bill came out of the money that is set aside for food and beer, Bruce said.
At the start of a fundraiser Wednesday night, the bar was already out of food, and had a few eight-packs of beer left. Bruce said he’s making ends meet and plans to host a themed night at the bar Saturday.
Hannah Esty, a 23-year-old Santa Fe College theater sophomore, said she’s been a patron of The Lab since it opened in 2010.
She said she’s a big fan of the bar’s nachos, which she described as “freaking amazing,” but she said she enjoys the overall atmosphere at the bar.
“It’s amazing,” she said. “(It’s) one of the only places in Gainesville like it.”
John Stoltz, 22-year-old Santa Fe College music sophomore, and his band played at the bar Wednesday night as part of a fundraiser.
He said he loved how the bar has so many theme nights with different styles of music, such as goth and postpunk music.
“Nowhere else does that,” he said.
Product Development Engineer Derek Tabor, 30, enjoys a beer at The Laboratory, 818 W. University Ave. The bar reached out to patrons for donations after a rough summer drained its savings.
