Less than seven months after it opened its doors, Duo Nightclub, located at 129 Pugh St., is in legal trouble and has been served an eviction notice for failure to pay rent according to court documents plastered on the night spot’s door.
A judgement has been entered in court against owner Parag Parikh and his company P&P at PSU, LCC for $12,000 in back rent. Duo will be evicted on May 20 if not paid.
Rumors swirled at the end of last semester that the nightclub was planning to close. Bar staff, who asked to remain anonymous, confirmed to multiple Onward State writers at the time that the nightclub would close for good on May 14.
Those staffers said they had received notice that their employment would be terminated. When I asked for a manager, I was directed to a man who identified himself as Duo manager but declined to give his name. The mysterious man said that the rumors were “false” and that Duo would open up again in the fall when students return.
Two weeks later, and it doesn’t appear as if anyone has been inside Duo since its last night on May 4. Week-old mail has been shoved inside the door and is strewn on the ground. Phone calls go unanswered and the lights remain off.
The building at 129 Pugh St. is owned by Tony Sapia’s Sammark Inc. Tony’s Big Easy and Lulu’s — both defunct Sapia-owned establishments — were formerly located where Duo is now. The businesses were plagued with liquor law woes, including happy hour violations, minors law violations, and most notably, a 2006 fatal stabbing outside of Club Love, which preceded Lulu’s, that resulted in the death of Penn State student Michael Donahue.
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board revoked Sapia’s liquor license, calling Sammark bars a “risk to public safety.” After several appeals, Sapia was forced to sell the license, but several PLCB penalties stuck.
Sapia was able to keep the building but the owner of the new license would be forced to limit drink specials, stop alcohol sales at 1 a.m., and make sure 75-percent of revenue came from food sales — a hefty if not impossible task for a college nightclub like Duo.
Parag Parikh is listed as the current owner of the liquor license, as of October 5, 2012. Neither Sapia or Parikh could be reached for comment.
Sammark first filed a tenant complaint on March 20 against Parikh and he was served on March 27, according to court documents. Judge Ronald Horner ruled in favor of Sammark on April 22 and filed the repossession and eviction order.
Perhaps most abstruse in this case is defendant Parag Parikh. His corporate address, filed under P&P at PSU, LCC, is listed as Duo at 129 Pugh St., although no phone number is listed with the PLCB. It appears that this is the only business Parikh owns in State College, and the LLC was just founded in 2012.
Parikh has a Wikipedia page. There’s also this page from another company he is involved with, Parag Parikh Financial Advisory Services Ltd., which is located in India.
Phone calls to P&P at PSU, LCC’s listed number went repeatedly unanswered, as did calls to Duo.
For now, though, it looks like Duo’s stint in the State College nightlife scene will be short lived.
