Wormy Dog closing [Archive]

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04-18-2017, 04:00 PM

Wormy Dog to close this month

Landlord says space will lease quickly

By: Molly M. Fleming The Journal Record April 17, 2017

OKLAHOMA CITY – A Bricktown staple is about to play its final set.

A few years ago, Ronnye Farmer and his partners at Levelland Productions were thinking about closing the Wormy Dog Saloon, 311 E. Sheridan Ave.

The thought returned in 2015. Then in December 2016, the operators told their landlord, Brewer Entertainment, that Levelland would not renew its lease.

Farmer said Levelland was preparing for a shift in its venues with the Tower Theatre opening in February 2017. This would give the company a new 1,000-seat music spot, a 300-seat venue with the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma in Bricktown, and the 3,300-seat Criterion.

But the contract at the Tower Theatre was ended in March.

Farmer said there will likely be an encore for the Wormy Dog Saloon. It opened in Stillwater in 1992 and in Bricktown in 2003. Three hotels have opened across the street, with multifamily housing, retail, and other hotels under construction farther east of the Wormy Dog.

“It’s a staple in Oklahoma City,” he said. “It’s been around before I had anything to do with it.”

The Wormy Dog will close the last weekend of April. The space will be available in July.

Brewer Entertainment President Brent Brewer said when the Wormy Dog is gone, his team will assess the building and see what work needs to be done. He said he was out of the office on Friday afternoon and hasn’t seen what inquiries have been made regarding the space.

“It’s a great location,” he said. “It’s right in the middle of the development in east Bricktown. We think it will lease fairly quickly.”

He said the company’s ideal tenant would be open daily. The Wormy Dog is open only Thursday to Saturday.

The two-story, loft-style building was constructed in 1934. It measures 13,872 square feet. Brewer said it has about 10,000 square feet of leasable space. He said Bricktown is in a transitional period, with more density and diversity than when the Wormy Dog opened.

“There’s so much going on,” he said. “It’s a multi-use district. It’s definitely a different dynamic now.”

Farmer said the Wormy Dog has still sold out several shows, but it’s more difficult to park as the district has changed.

“We’re a destination-type place,” he said. “It doesn’t suit (our guests) to park five to 10 blocks away.”

Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau Marketing and Communications Director Seth Spillman said Bricktown seems to be changing into a more resident-friendly area as housing increases.

“It’s evolving toward the changes that will be necessary with housing, both permanent and short term,” he said. “Bricktown is still a fantastic entertainment district for tourism. The kind of changes you’re going to see in growth in the next five to 10 years will come with the amount of rooftops that are now in Bricktown.”