N. Charleston community concerned about nightclub operating without licenses

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Members of the Singing Pines neighborhood say a new business that could bring possible dangers to the community is operating without the correct licenses.

The nightclub located at 5624 Rivers Ave., known as Aqua Lounge and Night Club on social media, has raised concerns from the community since last September.

A flyer promoting the “soft opening” on Sept. 1 was distributed with the logo for the Aqua Lounge & Night Club attached, indicating the nightclub was in operation during the time in question without license.

Community members, John Corum and Andrea Bailey-Erb, say they saw dozens of cars and heard loud music outside of the establishment on Sept. 1.

“It lasted all night till three, four o’clock in the morning; and then Saturday, North Charleston was able to put a stop order on the doors,” Bailey-Erb says. “On Sunday, they came back about 10:30 at night. It took seven patrol cars, and two city official trucks to get them to shut down.”

The North Charleston Police Department was called to the location for a noise complaint on Sept. 1 at 11 p.m. An incident report filed says during the visit, an officer interviewed a woman who claims she has been in charge of the building for 15 years and is preparing the space for the past three years to open soon.

At the same time, the police department was told they were having a birthday party and were not operating as the business at the moment, according to the report.

“The parking lot was full, it was crowded,” Corum says. “My sources told me that they were selling alcohol and had alcohol in the building.”

The South Carolina Department of Revenue has no person or business licensed at 5624 Rivers Ave. in North Charleston. The department also does not have a history of anyone applying for and/or obtaining a special event permit for the location.

“The building department has said that that building is not safe enough to go into,” Bailey-Erb says. So even, you know, we’re not going into it, but even the patrons that are in there, the citizens within this community, it might not be safe to go in that building.

Outside of the building, a notice placed by the city of North Charleston says the property area is unsafe, unfit, or abandoned and its use or occupancy has been prohibited. As for reasoning, it states ‘unsafe – not inspected for any usage.’

“Everyone has a right to have a business but do it properly; and if it had done properly, this stuff wouldn’t have won’t happened,” Corum says.

The city of North Charleston says they stopped the business from occupying but not from operating. They say they are meeting with the building owners at some point soon.

The business has refused to give a comment or statement in response to our requests.

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