By Benjamin Millar
Soaring rents and development pressure have claimed another Footscray live venue scalp – culture and cafe trailblazer the Dancing Dog Café.
After 17 years of trading, the iconic café will be closing its doors later this month after rising costs made it unviable to continue trading.
The Dancing Dog Café gained prominence as one of the few live music and entertainment venues in the heart of Footscray, hosting music, theatre, comedy and cultural events since opening in 2002.
Owner Ben Coyle said Australian music legends Paul Kelly and Ross Hannaford have played at the Albert Street venue, with a number of other musicians also getting their start in the open mic nights.
The closure, slated for March 28, comes just weeks after the demise of The Reverence Hotel, which called last drinks on Saturday after almost seven years.
Mr Coyle said he was disappointed to be pulling the plug, but the difficult decision has been forced on him.
“It was out of our hands,” he said.
“The cost has been going up in Footscray as far as rents and rates go.”
The cafe began with a gallery space, moving on to host award-winning theatre and more recently comedy, poetry and music.
Mr Coyle said a crowd-funding campaign to buy the building when it went up for sale in 2015 showed how important the venue had become to the community.
The building was eventually sold to an investor for a little over $1.575 million.
“I was the first ‘Fitzroy-style’ cafe in Footscray and the first bar in the area as well, when a lot of pubs were shutting down,” Mr Coyle said.
“It’s been a pioneer and it’s been a lot to a lot of people over the years. A lot of people had their first opportunity to play their first gig here.”
Mr Coyle has published a book based on his hospitality experience, Spilling the Beans, and has a second book ready to launch.
“What I’m proud of is the fact we’ve lasted so long, not many venues go the distance,” he said.
Zoning changes in central Footscray have paved the way for more multi-level redevelopment, creating sharp rises in property rates and making it difficult for businesses to secure long-term leases.
The Dancing Dog will celebrate 17 years with a special event on March 23, permanently closing on March 28 with one final open mic night.
