New clubs fill vacuum Spectrum left in area

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Maybe you didn’t notice when the sign near the big post office building in downtown Bangor came down last year.

Maybe you did.

However it did or didn’t affect you, the closing of the Spectrum left a vacuum in Bangor-area night life that has been filled only recently.

More than seven months after the venerable Bangor gay club was sold, two new clubs have opened in the area. Karma is located across the parking lot from where the Spectrum used to be, in the space that most recently housed Benjamin’s, and is owned by two men.

Meanwhile, across the Penobscot River, another couple has opened Club Detour on Wilson Street in Brewer.

Karma’s owners are going for a pub-like, laid-back atmosphere. Detour has billed itself as the area’s hottest nightclub.

But there are plenty of similarities between the establishments. Both are owned by couples who are partners in business and life, eastern and northern Maine natives who are taking the plunge of business ownership. Both establishments are eager for straight customers. But at the same time, both clubs want to be places where gays and lesbians can always feel comfortable.

“It’s important no matter where you are,” said Presque Isle native Chase Blanchard, who owns Detour with partner Troy Blanchard of LaGrange. “We’re trying to promote diversity, and that means anyone can come in here and feel safe and secure. Having a place for all of us to go is absolutely important.”

Sabin Beckwith, a Greenville native who owns Karma with Millinocket’s Chad Hamilton, shares those opinions.

“We felt that there should be a place where people can be themselves no matter who they were, if they were gay, lesbian or straight, whatever,” said Beckwith. “That’s what our whole idea was.”

Beckwith said he and Hamilton also were motivated to open Karma in part because when the Spectrum closed they saw money and people leaving Bangor for clubs in Augusta, Portland and out of state.

“We knew a lot of people weren’t going out, or they were traveling, which isn’t safe and takes money out of our local economy,” Beckwith said.

Beckwith, a former Spectrum bartender, and Hamilton took over the Franklin Street space where Benjamin’s used to be and have since made a lot of cosmetic changes aside from a fresh coat of paint that has lightened up the bar area. They’ve redone the ceilings and floors, rebuilt a section of the bar that was rotting, and put the kitchen back in to serve a light bar menu for now.

Karma is still essentially a basement with no windows, which makes the space feel kind of stuffy. But the outside deck – always my favorite feature at Benjamin’s – helps a lot. The dance floor’s still there, of course.

Chase Blanchard and Troy Blanchard had to put a little more work in to convert their space to a two-story club and bar because the building used to be a health and fitness facility.

The rooms on the top floor will serve as smaller lounges and pool rooms – there are two pool tables in separate areas, which means plenty of room to walk without getting poked with a pool cue.

Detour’s owners got their inspiration from the four years they spent living in the suburbs of Los Angeles, where they fell in love with the nightlife.

“This is a true nightclub by the definition as we learned it to be in California,” Chase Blanchard said. “We missed what we had out there so we decided to bring it here, because it’s different from what people are used to.”

There’s also a dance floor ready to go on the second story. Chase Blanchard said if they find gay and straight customers prefer separate dance floors.

“I don’t have an issue with that if that’s how they want to do it,” he said. “If we need a division here, we’ll divide it. But I think everybody can live in harmony just like they do in L.A. … Our doors are open to everybody. We’re not just a gay club.”

Detour is open until 3 a.m. weekends and becomes an 18-and-over spot at last call until closing at 3 a.m. The kitchen is open until 3 a.m.

Karma does have an 18-and-over night Sundays.

As excited as the two couples are to have their clubs up and running, the relationship between the establishments has been a big sticking point.

Karma and Detour opened the same evening and there has been some rivalry and bickering. Beckwith claims someone drove past Karma on opening night and used a loudspeaker to encourage patrons to go to Detour. He also said someone connected to Detour has called to harass workers at Beckwith’s other Bangor business, the Courtyard Grille, and that Karma’s lawyer sent Detour’s owners a letter asking them to stop.

Chase Blanchard claims Beckwith misled him about what kind of club Beckwith was opening. Blanchard denies doing anything to deserve a letter from a lawyer or hiring anyone to promote Detour on a PA system outside Karma.

Things seem to have settled down in recent weeks. Blanchard said he waited to find out what night Karma would be doing karaoke so he could plan his on a different night. He also said he has given his own patrons directions to get to Karma. Beckwith said he has encouraged his patrons to check out Detour for themselves.

Both men believe there’s room for both clubs. And both men hope the other’s business succeeds.

To get in touch with Karma, call 942-3002. For Club Detour information go to www.clubdetour.us, or call 989-DETOUR. Jessica Bloch can be reached at jbloch@bangordailynews.net.