The co-owner of Circuit Night Club is apologizing for public remarks made about his landlord, days after the Halsted Street establishment closed.
Mike Macharello previously posted a notice to Circuit's website that the building's owner, Frank Friedman of Sterling Properties, would not sign a new lease agreement, causing the club to close. But, on Feb. 12, Macharello issued a new statement that said Friedman was not to blame.
"I would like to retract a statement I made that the landlord Frank Friedman of Sterling Properties 'will not sign a lease with former tenant Mike Macharello, President/CEO Circuit Corp,'" said Macharello. "It was erroneous on my part to either state or infer that Frank Friedman and Sterling properties would not rent to me.
"It was further erroneous of me to either state or infer that Frank Friedman or Sterling Properties was the cause of the closing of Circuit Night Club.
"Throughout my 18-year relationship with Circuit Nightclub, Frank Friedman of Sterling Properties has always done his utmost to work with Circuit Night Club. I would like to take this opportunity to apologize if I have said or inferred anything which was looked on as detrimental to Frank Friedman and/or Sterling Properties."
Macharello told Windy City TImes he hopes the apology will show "there's nothing personal in the way" of a new rent negotiation.
But when asked if the statement was acceptable, Friedman said, "I think the retraction speaks for itself. If you go by the building today, the signs there say, 'For Rent.'"
According to Friedman, the current situation is a "virtual repeat" of a similar stalemate that closed Circuit back in 2012. In that instance, Macharello also stepped back from public comments about Friedman, acknowledging that problems between Macharello and co-owner Patrick Harms was the real issue.
"The closing has to do with the two owners," Friedman said.
Harms carried the lease with Friedman, while Macharello owned the nightclub's liquor licenses; Macharello now wants the lease to be in his name and said that he has been unable to communicate with Harms in recent weeks. Windy City Times attempted to reach Harms for comment Feb. 12, but a message at his number said his voice mailbox was full.
Macharello told ChicagoPride.com Feb. 9 that the closure does not affect the future of Boi Magazine, which he publishes.
"Everything is great on this side," explained Macharello. "Our first issue of the year is about to hit the streets. It's a great issue—one of the biggest yet."
ChicagoPride's article is at chicago.gopride.com/news/article.cfm/articleid/73380721 .
