Firefly Lounge, the Arden Arcade dive bar known for karaoke nights and cheeseburgers, is shutting down after a going-away party Tuesday night. Owner Connie Hale-Schuessler broke the news to regulars in a Facebook post Monday night, capping a run that began nearly a decade ago.
Hale-Schuessler had owned Firefly Lounge for nine and a half years, according to Abridged by PBS KVIE, which first reported the closure. She bought the bar in 2017, about a year after it originally opened at 1443 Fulton Ave., per that report. The bar announced its closure the night before the Tuesday send-off, giving longtime patrons one last chance to say goodbye.
Hale-Schuessler said the decision was difficult. “While this was not an easy decision to make, I want to take a moment to thank every person who has supported me along the way,” she wrote, according to Abridged. In looking back on her tenure, she described the bar’s years as lively and emphasized the close relationships formed there.
A Neighborhood Haunt With Karaoke and Comfort Food
Abridged’s account describes a venue with a regular weekly entertainment schedule: karaoke was held Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, while Fridays and Saturdays were set aside for dancing.
The lounge also served breakfast and lunch. Its menu included patty melts, salads and cheeseburgers, as well as breakfast burritos, omelets and rib-eye steaks with eggs, Abridged reported.
Fulton Avenue’s Commercial Role
The lounge’s address sits along a corridor Sacramento County describes as a long-standing center of commercial activity, particularly for car dealerships and restaurants, according to the Sacramento County Land Use Regulation Library.
Part of a Rough Stretch for Sacramento-Area Food and Drink Spots
Firefly Lounge's closure adds to a string of recent shutdowns across the Sacramento region's food and beverage scene. In El Dorado Hills, 36 Handles Public House on White Rock Road permanently closed on September 26, according to The Sacramento Bee. That same day, Azul, which had served Sacramento for 19 years, also shut its doors, the Bee reported.
Other long-running spots met similar fates that month. Island Tacos, a family-run taco stand in East Sacramento with more than 20 years in business, ceased operations on September 30, while Azayaka Japanese Fusion in Roseville closed on September 25, according to the Bee's report. Firefly Lounge now joins that list of neighborhood fixtures saying goodbye after long runs serving their communities.
