Blue Note jazz club padlocked in legal dispute with creditor

Owner’s other business, the Miami Valley Sports Bar in Miamisburg, is still operating and safe, owner says

The owner of the Blue Note Bistro & Lounge in downtown Miamisburg had vowed to fight to keep the jazz club and restaurant open under her ownership, but said as Tuesday Oct. 9, the club is padlocked, and its future is uncertain.

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Julie Delph's other business, the Miami Valley Sports Bar, is secure and will continue operating under her ownership, Delph said, while she re-structures the sports bar's debt.

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Speaking of the Blue Note, Delph said, “I gave it a good fight ... (but) I have no choice. ... Hopefully somebody will buy the Blue Note and continue its tradition.”

“But it’s amazing how much support and love I’ve been receiving from everyone. I look at it this way. Most people don’t get a chance to have their dream. I had mine for two very wonderful years.”

The Blue Note’s future is uncertain. This news outlet will update this story with any new information.

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A lawsuit filed in November 2017 in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court by Next Ventures Financing LLC against the Blue Note Bistro & Lounge and the Miami Valley Sports Bar claimed that the two businesses are in default of a financial agreement and owe Next Ventures Financing $445,000. On Sept. 18, a judge issued an order granting permission for Next Ventures Financing to install padlocks at all entrances and exits of both the sports bar and the lounge.

Delph said the sports bar “is going nowhere” and she has taken steps to protect its future.

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“I’m not going to give up without a fight.”

That is the vow of Julie Delph, founder of the Blue Note Bistro & Lounge in downtown Miamisburg and owner of the Miami Valley Sports Bar, also in Miamisburg, in the wake of a legal dispute with a creditor and persistent rumors that both businesses have shut down. Both are still open and operating, Delph said, and she is taking steps "in the background" to keep them open.

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A lawsuit filed in November 2017 in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court by Next Ventures Financing LLC against the Blue Note Bistro & Lounge and the Miami Valley Sports Bar is creating much of the uncertainty. The lawsuit claims that the two businesses are in default of a financial agreement and owe Next Ventures Financing $445,000.

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Last week, on Sept. 18, a judge issued an order granting permission for Next Ventures Financing to install padlocks at all entrances and exits of both the sports bar and the lounge. That had not happened as of this morning, Sept. 28. A separate court order was issued allowing the financing company to bring in a selling officer/auctioneer to appraise and sell at public auction the personal property of both the sports bar and lounge.

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There have been discussions of scenarios that would keep both businesses open, but no formal agreement has been reached, Delph said

“I’m not denying it’s a bump in the road, but I refuse to let it slow me down. It’s business as usual,” Delph told this news outlet in an interview Wednesday afternoon at the restaurant and music club that opened two years ago.

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The Miami Valley Sports Bar has been operating for 23 years and is entering a busy season, Delph said. And business has been picking up at Blue Note, with several Christmas parties and at least two weddings scheduled, along with an Elvis tribute show set for Oct. 19.

“I can’t predict the future, but what I’m doing in the background will protect these businesses,” Delph said.

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