Former Bad Jimmy’s and newly opened music/comedy venue Showboat to close its doors permanently

The music and comedy venue Showboat (4358B Leary Way NW) is closing its doors at the end of the year.

The owners announced the upcoming closure on social media, saying it’s been a rocky road for a couple of years.

Showboat was previously Bad Jimmy’s Brewery, which opened in 2013. In the social media post, they say Bad Jimmy’s wasn’t turning a profit in 2021. After an unsuccessful attempt at selling the brewery, owners Seth Mashni and Jason Shrum were advised to try something new; to add a full bar or pivot.

“So we tried to flip it to see,” they wrote. They’d hoped to sell the brewing equipment to make space for indoor shows so they could operate year-round as a venue. Thus, Showboat was born.

Selling the brewing equipment proved difficult, and they were forced to sign with an auction company, which told them they would likely get $45,000. However, the equipment only sold for $14,000, and after the auction company took its commission and charged for removal, the business only pocketed a small fraction of the sale.

“So we had about 5k after sales tax to totally remodel and rebrand which didn’t go far,” they wrote in the social media post.

“We are incredibly lucky to have friends and family with expertise in construction to help keep labor costs low. We thought we’d be able to pull funds from a personal source in and float us through the spring so we could add an EDM component for late-night shows.”

They applied for a permit but found out the weekend before Thanksgiving that they weren’t successful.

“Since then we’ve had to lay off most staff and start preparing to close. Our staff was incredibly understanding and helpful and we can’t say enough great things about them. We hope to find someone to take over the reasonable (low price even) lease and keep using the stage for local community talent and creativity,” the owners wrote.

Showboat’s last night open will be Dec. 30. They’re still hoping to find someone to take over the bar—you can email them at info@showboatseattle.com with questions.

“We remain cheerleaders for all in this industry and know that many are struggling. Please please come by in our last month to say hello or goodbye and please consider dropping by some of your favorite old spots that may need your help getting through the next couple of very difficult months for the restaurant and bar industry.”

Photo: Showboat