Splashy nightclub Bahasa goes quiet Sunday

It will be renovated and open under another name in September.

By REBECCA CATALANELLO
Published July 7, 2007

TAMPA - Say buh-bye to Bahasa.

The Bali-themed South Tampa dance club is closing its doors after last call early Sunday morning.

Owner Gene O'Steen said the nightclub, which opened in May 2003 on Kennedy Boulevard, will undergo a massive renovation and reopen under another name in September.

"It was just time for some remodeling, " he said. "Normally nightclubs have about a three-year run."

No word on what the reincarnated Bahasa will look like. O'Steen said he wants to continue to draw the South Tampa crowd. And with nearby Whiskey Park SoHo expected to close as well, O'Steen said he hopes to cater to the same clientele.

Bahasa made a splash soon after it opened, holding a circus-themed block party, complete with a fire eater, gymnasts, drag queens and an 8-foot lobster on stilts.

Hip-hop, house and Latin music shake the multiroomed club so much so that last year its residential neighbors asked city officials for help curbing some of the noise and traffic.

O'Steen, who has owned some of Tampa's most controversial drinking establishments in recent years, including two bikini bars and the now-shuttered Gene's Bar in east Tampa, was unequivocal when asked if he plans to make the location at 2408 W Kennedy Blvd. a strip club.

"No! Oh, no, " he said. "Not even a comedy club!"

Rebecca Catalanello can be reached at 813 226-3383 or rcatalanello@ sptimes.com.

[Last modified July 7, 2007, 00:42:13]