HUDSON — Club Helsinki Hudson, a center of the local music scene, recording studio and restaurant, has been acquired by the Galvan Foundation.
“We do not have any comment at this time, but I will be sure to reach out once we are ready to announce our plans,” Galvan Vice President of Initiatives Dan Kent wrote Monday in an email.
Club Helsinki is owned by Deborah McDowell and Marc Schafler.
No one answered the phone at Club Helsinki on Monday and the business voicemail, which has not been reset since 2020, informed callers that the venue would be closed temporarily out of caution due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Club shut its doors for good in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic. In a lengthy thank-you note to the Hudson community, the owners said an emotional goodbye.
“As we continue to weather the storm, we think of all of you with love, tenderness, and concern.
“This is indeed a challenging time unlike anything any of us could have imagined. We only hope that all of you are enduring your days with a modicum of calm and that each of you has a warm place to call home in this time of refuge.
“As you know, we made the difficult decision to temporarily close The Restaurant at Helsinki Hudson, Club Helsinki Hudson, and our event space. It was not a decision we took lightly, but it was clearly the best outcome for the greater good — and now, of course, it has become pretty much the law of the land.
“It has taken us awhile to come up for air and to begin to rework our massively busy schedule for the club and restaurant and to organize our thoughts and plans as things have unfolded. At this point we are moving on with gentle baby steps and proceeding day to day with lots of deliberation and forethought.
“We are so sorry this has befallen you and all of us and our little planet. Even though the need for social distancing is keeping our actual arms by our sides, we are reaching out here to you with virtual hugs and much love. We so deeply look forward to the day and time when we can reopen our doors and celebrate a new dawn with good food, drink, and music - or as we like to think of it, food for the soul. It’s that image we try to keep front and center in our minds and our hearts, to help get us through these dark days as we inch forward back into the light.”
Club Helsinki, which is located at Fourth and Columbia streets, opened in May 2010, with the first of several “soundcheck” events. The group Spottiswoode and his Enemies was among the first artists to take the stage.
The first private, invitation-only performances also included Matt Haimovitz and Ucello, Crooked Still and Sarah Jarosz, and the Bindlestiff Family
Cirkus. The Club was a venue for indie, folk and roots-rock performers including James McMurtry, the Felice Brothers, Bridget Kearney of Lake Street Dive and Natalie Merchant, formerly of 10,000 Maniacs.