FILE — Tom Ritchie, former owner of Somewhere in Time in Lima, stands behind the bar in September 2020.
File photo | The Lima News
LIMA —A local dance club announced its closure on Tuesday, Feb. 14
Somewhere in Time, also known as Somewhere…, announced that after decades in business as “Lima’s Premier LGBQT Dance and Event venue,” it would be shutting its doors due to loss of staff.
“We’re sorry to announce that Somewhere in Time is permanently closed,” read a statement on social media.”We lost some team members in the last few months, and have been working hard to cover with the staff we have, but it isn’t enough.”
The club, which was opened by Tom Ritchie in 1982, had been in business continuously until the pandemic hit in the spring of 2020, forcing the business to close except for a brief reopening in May, until Ritchie retired and put it for sale later that September.
During Ritchie’s time as owner of the club, he dedicated his presence in the community to changing the culture and working with the Allen County AIDS Task Force.
That meant incorporating AIDS education, memorials and fundraisers into events at Somewhere…
After Ritchie sold the club, Somewhere in Time reopened on Friday, Nov. 12, 2021 under the ownership of Carissa Reineke and had been hosting regular events since then so followers were taken by surprise.
Commenters on Facebook called the announcement “an absolute shame” and “sad.”
The Lima News has reached out to Somewhere in Time for comment.
Reach Jacob Espinosa at 567-242-0399.
