Kimia Lounge, a once popular nightclub on Capitol Square, has been closed for over two weeks and the owner said the reason for shutting down was the citywide smoking ban.
""In the last two years, I saw a steady drop in business to the point of several hundred thousand dollars,"" said Kami Eshraghi, owner of Kimia Lounge, 14 W. Mifflin St. ""It's drastic to see how well we were doing and then all of the sudden we have the smoking ban.""
He said the enactment of the smoking ban spelled the demise of his business and may continue to hurt other businesses in Madison. He said he is not completely against Gov. Jim Doyle's proposed statewide ban, but added that in Madison the smoking ban just will not work.
""You just cannot have a smoking ban in such a small geographical area,"" Eshraghi said.
Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's spokesperson, George Twigg, said the mayor stands behind Madison's smoking ban. He said businesses have been impacted but most have been able to take the good with the bad.
""[Businesses were] impacted by the smoking ban in the same way,"" Twigg said. ""Why that somehow created an insurmountable burden for Kimia Lounge that other establishments have been able to deal with speaks for itself.""
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said he does not want to speculate as to why Kimia Lounge—which was in business for nearly five years—had financial trouble. Verveer said, ""It seems to me it could be a variety of factors,"" but added that no matter what the cause, the smoking ban is at the forefront of discussion.
""It is no denying that other owners have cited the [smoking ban] as the reason for their business going down the tube,"" Verveer said.
Still, Twigg said that the mayor does not want to see businesses fail, but he also does not want to see a city clouded in smoke. Verveer said many business on the outskirts of town have seen more patrons as a result of the ban.
Eshraghi said he lost most of his mid-evening and afternoon customers to towns just outside of Madison.
""All my after-work customers were going to Fitchburg,"" Eshraghi said.
