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Closing of Blue Dragon mourned by Albuquerque patrons, performers
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Caffeine junkies, poets and open-mike aficionados have lost a home away from home in Albuquerque with the closing of the Blue Dragon coffeehouse this month.
The Blue Dragon, 1517 Girard Blvd. N.E., closed indefinitely July 13, according to the message on its answering machine. Owner Norm Everett could not be reached for comment on July 16.
Opened in 1999, the Blue Dragon was home to live avant-garde music, poetry slams, dance and offbeat art. It was an all-ages haven for music and a favorite meeting place for many community groups.
"It was a great space, they were really super-supportive. It is where I cut my teeth," said Don McIver, who performed and hosted poetry slams at the coffeehouse for eight years.
McIver said money problems led to the closure.
"Sometimes the path is difficult; sometimes the load too heavy," read posters for a pair of concerts to benefit the cafe earlier this month.
Susana Lucero, 27, said she will miss the Blue Dragon, because it was one of the few all-ages live music venues in Albuquerque.
Lucero said she and her husband could take their four children along with them to the cafe.
"It was a great casual environment, had great baked goods and the live music was awesome," she said.
Tributes to the cafe have emerged on the Internet.
The local band Fast Heart Mart posted, "We love and miss you!" on the cafe's MySpace page.
McIver wrote: "The words that we shared with each other are even more precious now that it is no more," in a tribute.
Others were somewhat less glowing.
"My feelings about Blue Dragon were conflicted," a user named John posted on the Duke City Fix site. "I loved knowing it was there, loved the idea of the place, but I very rarely actually wanted to go."
