WATERVILLE — The corner of Main and Silver streets downtown will boast a new eatery and bar after the Midnight Blues Club and Restaurant sees its last day April 30.

Businessman Charlie Giguere plans to close the club for two to four weeks to renovate the dining area and kitchen, develop a new “pub-style menu with a twist,” hire and train staff and re-open as Silver Street Spirits.

“I’ll try to open Memorial Day weekend or June 1,” Giguere said Monday.

He said he plans to keep the dance club in the basement, now called Club Viper, open during the restaurant renovation upstairs and will rename and rebrand the dance club.

He is scheduled to go before the City Council tonight to seek food, liquor and special amusement permits for the business. The meeting will be at 7 p.m. in the council chambers at The Center downtown, and will be preceded by a public hearing at 6:45 p.m. to discuss bonding for capital improvements.

Giguere, who owns Champions Fitness Center at Elm Plaza, bought the 2 Silver St. building at auction in January for $135,000. The building had been foreclosed on, and its second and third floors condemned by the city as unfit and unsafe for human occupancy.

Midnight Blues is owned by Paul Morency, who had the business 6 1/2 years on Silver Street and said he plans to retire to Florida after closing.

Giguere is renovating, in phases, the six apartments over the club and transforming them into upscale units. The three apartments with an entrance off Main Street have been gutted and suspended ceilings removed to reveal 12-foot ceilings.

“We started from scratch,” Giguere said. “We ripped up the carpeting and vinyl layers and found beautiful hardwood floors. Two of three have been refinished.”

The renovations, will include new kitchen cabinets, appliances and bathroom fixtures, Giguere said. He said he plans to have the apartments finished before May 1.

He will then start renovating residential units with entrances off Silver Street.

A few months ago, Giguere also bought the Main Street building downtown that now houses Amici Cucina and renovated apartment space over that restaurant.

He said upper floors downtown have beautiful features and make nice apartments.

“I like the idea of creating some good apartments on the upper floors,” he said. “I think if we could do that on Main Street, all the businesses of Main Street would benefit. If we can create that residential, business area, I think it behooves everybody.”

Giguere, who grew up three blocks from the building, knows the downtown well and several years ago, leased the downstairs of 2 Silver Street for his dance club, Spirits.

“I’m excited about this Main Street project and doing something that’s very local to me,” he said. “I grew up downtown, three blocks away from there.”

He said he plans to remove the stage in the dining area of the restaurant as he does not plan to have rock ‘n roll bands there. He expects to hire more than 20 people, several of whom will be full-time.

Scott Downie of S.D. Construction of Fairfield, is the general contractor for the renovations.

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