Workers, performers sad to see quirky Double Happiness shut doors

Like an eccentric uncle skilled at bad puns, the kitschy, campy atmosphere of Double Happiness is part of the charm.

Red Chinese lanterns dangle from the ceiling and Buddha statues keep watch over the bar, but what Grant Gatsby will never forget are the bootleg DVDs blaring on the TVs.

From 1950s B movies to wrestling, obscure foreign films to 1970s light porn, you never knew what your eyeballs would behold.

“Rather you enjoy the atmosphere or you don’t like it at all, (but) no one could say it’s unoriginal,” said Gatsby, who has booked shows at the music venue since it opened in 2010. “It’s unlike anything else in Columbus.”

At the end of the month, though, the Brewery District bar and concert venue will close for good.

Jenny Donaldson, the bar manager who also books many of the DJ sets and electronic-music shows, said owner Yalan Papillons — who could not be reached for the story — felt overwhelmed with raising a child and maintaining a business.

Papillons — whose Chinese-Japanese mother inspired the decor — moved to Columbus from New York City in 2009 after booking shows at clubs such as Santos Party House and Knitting Factory.

Her brother ran the bar for a short time before Papillons took over the place by hauling trinkets from her home and making the place her own.

The name — emblazoned on a neon sign in the front window — is the Chinese symbol for marriage, and the character signifies good luck and great joy.

In the end, though, the toil and taxes required to keep things running wore Papillons down.

“I think (she's) a little bit tired of that now and wants a simpler life,” Donaldson said. “I mean, nothing lasts forever.”

The final shows are scheduled for Nov. 24-25 and will feature Columbus hip-hop artist J. Rawls and a mishmash of former employees performing with their bands.

But first, local rapper Sam Rothstein will record a live album at Double Happiness during his “Last Call” show on Saturday. The feat will allow Rothstein to end exactly where he started.

In April 2014, the rapper, raised in Lancaster, played his first Columbus show at the venue.

“To me, it was always the place the freaks were allowed to hang out,” Rothstein said of the inclusive environment.

Papillons ran one of the only all-ages clubs in Columbus. She refused to sell national beers such as Budweiser and Miller on the grounds that she saw them as “swimsuit beers” that used women’s bodies to sell more product.

Cory Hajde, owner of local booking company Bravo Artist, said he admired her moral code.

“A lot of that money could have helped save the bar, in a sense, but she didn’t really care about that,” he said. “Her goal was to have some sort of community space where people would actually feel safe.”

Bravo Artist started hosting shows there more than three years ago and soon became the venue Hajde used to develop up-and-coming bands such as Japanese Breakfast and Tigers Jaw.

Many have since moved on to spaces that can hold more than the 200-person maximum at Double Happiness, but a few others decided to return.

When indie rocker (Sandy) Alex G quickly sold out the venue in June, Hajde asked if he wanted to upgrade to Ace of Cups. The artist refused.

“There was always such a sense of hospitality and such a crazy-cool atmosphere,” Hajde said. “They enjoyed the atmosphere of the club more than they cared about selling more tickets or making more money.”

Despite Papillons’ best efforts to create a comfortable space for local acts, Hajde said that Bravo booked mostly regional and national acts despite recent improvements such as a new soundboard and speakers.

“Partially it has to do with its size and its weirdness,” he said. “Some people didn’t want to play there because they would rather feel safe in their comfort zone.”

Donaldson acknowledges that Double Happiness has quirks — she firmly believes that the spirits of the horses housed in the brick building in the 1800s haunt the place — but that’s why she’ll be sad to see it go.

“I love that it’s not super traditional,” she said. “We did our own thing.”

joller@dispatch.com

@juliaoller

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