A venue at the centre of Port Kembla’s revitalisation is up for sale.
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The former bank at 72 Wentworth Street was transformed into a night spot by Lou Belancic and his wife Jan after they bought it in 2000, but now it’s to change hands again.
“Primarily this started out as a superannuation thing for an old musician, getting a piece of real estate, and I thought I could turn it into a venue,” Mr Belancic previously told The Mercury.
”There’s not too many arty outlets for artists who hone their craft and learn how to perform [in the Illawarra].”
Mr Belancic said while it’s going to be emotional, he’s happy to spend more time with his wife and family, and said he’ll probably go back to his old love – drumming in a band.
He wanted to thank the Illawarra community and wider arts community for their support over the years, especially with The Vault Cabaret shows – co-founded by he and Anne-Louise Rentall around 2003.
The regular shows gave a platform for up-an-coming local artists – from circus, burlesque, poets and musicians. In comes after the May announcement the Cabaret night would close its curtains for good, with a final show on November 19.
In the 1980s Wentworth Street’s business life drained away to Warrawong but fortunately, the backbone of the community remained.
Life began flowing back into the street when new businesses began popping up in the late 1990s and early 2000s, such as bridal design, high-quality printmaking, specialty cakes, cabinet makers, ceramic tiling, picture framing, good restaurants and cafes.
Meantime, in August the state government pledged $330,000 to spruce up the main street, as part of the ongoing Port Kembla Community Investment Fund.
The Vault will go to auction on Thursday September 29 at 5pm, on-site.