NICOLE SACK

Staff Writer

WILDOMAR - Owners of Club Aftershock, a nightclub that catered to teens, announced Friday that they have closed the business just days after their opening event one week prior.

Phoebe and Robert Simkims of Murrieta began subleasing the Desert Rose Cafe on Monte Vista Drive on Nov. 1. The venue was attempting to establish itself as a positive hangout for high school students who live in Southwest County.

While the business was to be an alcohol-free environment during the weekends, it was the loss of a liquor license for weekday sales that caused the Simkims to suddenly shutter the entire establishment, Phoebe Simkims said in a phone interview Friday.

She said that without the liquor license the business would not generate enough money to pay the rent and payroll expenses. While the club was one of the driving motivations to take over the Desert Rose Cafe, she did not believe the money generated by the teen-oriented club would be enough to make the business successful.

The decision to back away from the lease on the establishment was made Thursday, she said.

Phoebe Simkims apologized for the sudden closure, as she had identified reaching out to youth as her "life dream." Club Aftershock, which opened Nov. 2, featured a full dance floor, offered energy drinks for the under 18 clientele and even boasted a VIP section.

The club operated for two nights.

Phoebe Simkims said she had lost the more than $20,000 she had invested in the venture. However, she indicated that she and her husband would attempt to open a similar venue for teens in the region in the future.