The C-Note Lounge, a fixture on ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s live country music scene, closed on Saturday.
"Breaking even was no longer good enough," owner Terry Nilson said Monday from North Dakota, where he has moved to work in the oil fields.
"I finally said, 'I'm going to get a real job.' "
Nilson said his lease at 1302 W. Roger Road was up, so he liquidated his inventory and closed the bar.
Nilson bought the country bar on April Fool's Day 1999 when it was called Durango Saloon & Dance Hall. He changed the name but kept the country-Western model, complete with live bands on the weekends and nightly karaoke. He said he sold the bar in 2005 but took it back three years later.
"It came from nothing again to just barely breaking even," said Nilson, who was raised in South Dakota and had lived in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 30 years.
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The C-Note hosted some of the area's top country talent over the years, including the Robert Moreno Band, the Dave Owens Band, Wildride the Band, and Chris O'Brian and Tequila Rose.
Three weeks ago, the C-Note hosted a benefit for victims of Southern ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s wildfires. Several local bands performed, including the Bryan Dean Trio, Savage Zoo, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Bay Outriders and the Dave Owens Band.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ still has a few country bars that feature live bands, including the Maverick, 6622 E. Tanque Verde Road; the Branding Iron, 2660 W. Ruthrauff Road; and River's Edge, 4635 N. Flowing Wells Road.
