ATLANTA — Atlanta's Encore Hookah Bar & Bistro has served its last customer.
The popular downtown club is now closed for good after a streak of violent crime, including a shooting where a security guard employed by the club was killed.
The crimes not only affected people at Encore Hookah Lounge, but also nearby tourist hot spots. The Georgia Aquarium was struck by stray bullets that reportedly were shot from the lounge.
Despite its prime location, Encore became a known location for criminal activity, amassing 171 calls to Atlanta Police in the last two years alone. The business disclosed that it would shut down in an Instagram post over the weekend.
11Alive learned the property's owners tried to get Encore shut down as far back as September. Habif Properties said when Encore refused to vacate in December, it got the courts involved. After the City of Atlanta requested a hearing last week, according to the property owners, Encore agreed to cease operations and vacate. The club played host to repeated violent crimes.
Full statement from Habif Properties:
Habif Properties, LLC, is the management company for the property located at 320 Luckie St, Atlanta, GA.
On September 20, 2021, our office notified Encore that pursuant to the terms of their lease, we were terminating their occupancy with ninety days’ notice effective on December 23, 2021. When Encore refused to vacate on December 23rd, we filed a motion for eviction with the Fulton Magistrate Court. Our eviction motion in Magistrate Court is currently awaiting an initial hearing.
On April 20, 2022, Habif Properties attended a hearing for a Temporary Restraining Order against Encore Hookah filed by the City of Atlanta. As a result of the hearing, Encore Hookah agreed to cease doing business and vacate the property by Wednesday April 27, 2022.
We are very pleased with outcome of the Temporary Restraining Order and are grateful for the actions taken by the City of Atlanta Deputy Solicitor, Erika Smith, in this matter.
11Alive tried to reach the operators of Encore but was unsuccessful.
James Reese lives a couple of blocks away from Encore. He said even people just walking around could be at risk of potential violence.
“It’s sad to see it go, because with the pandemic you hate for businesses to lose out, but safety and concern is such a big deal," Reese said. "Businesses should have to be held accountable for self-policing. If an incident happened, you may not expect it the first time. But once it becomes repetitive, you have to look at your security plans and business model and the type of crowd you're attracting."
Encore lies in Atlanta City Councilman Jason Dozier's District 4.
Dozier said the city is taking a strategic approach to focus on Atlanta's nightlife by educating business owners, making sure liquor licenses are current and going after what he called nuisance businesses.
"We had to throw the kitchen sink at this thing," Dozier said when asked what it took to close the club.
"Due process is a slow process. We want to make sure research is being done correctly, the correct laws are being adhered to so that we don’t have a situation where this establishment comes back next week or the week after,” he said.
Dozier encouraged the public to share tips about businesses that constantly attract crime and engage in illicit activity. He said a number of other popular clubs could face the same fate as Encore if they don't take serious steps to curb crime.
"Businesses can not only be assets for our city but could be partners in how we’re perceived," Dozier said. "But that also means these businesses need to be good neighbors, need to contribute to the public good. We do have to have tools available to us to hold these bad actors accountable, carrot and the stick, and I think that’s the direction we’re going as a city. Encore is the first of many situations we’re going to try and improve because everyone in the city deserves to be safe.”