A college town will eat you alive, if you don't consume it first!

Catching up on family member blogs, I came across my sister's about Chuy's closing. This was a Tex Mex restaurant in Dogtown. It closed about a month ago, I read about it in the RFT, immediately called Bevin and told her to relay it to Bridgett. I guess she forgot because Bridgett only recently discovered that they had closed.
Chuy's had been a place that reminded my family of our time in Texas. We celebrated birthdays, graduations, winter days, and the winding down after a stressful family day there, it was truly our restaurant. Not only did they serve the best Tex Mex I've had since the authentic breakfast burritos I use to eat in Round Rock (most Mexican restaurants in Texas were Tex Mex style, which is different from traditional Mexican fare), everyone in the family could find something to eat there. I come from a family of very diverse tastes; vegetarians, savory eaters, and sweet tooths. The RFT had mentioned it's closing in their column "Drink of the Week". They featured one of the margaritas, but really the article was a homage to the family owned business of 16 years (I believe it's 16, maybe 18?) . It was really upsetting to know that one of my favorite things in St. Louis, somewhere I had recommended others to go, talked about, dreamed about was closing. But as I finished the blog Bridgett had written, the truer meaning, the deeper meaning was that things change. This is a somewhat cliche statement, but recently it has been on my mind, mainly how Columbia has changed since I started school here 5 years ago.
Wine and Cheese, where I worked as a dishwasher for only a month and also, where Tim and I had our first 'anniversary' closed about a month and half ago. They had great pork chops, that I swear they spiked with sleeping pills because of the satisfying, sleepy feeling you had after eating the tender, perfectly cooked chop. They sold wine, and at one time had the best selection of cheese you could find in the downtown region. When I worked there and dined there, the cook was fabulous, but apparently after I left he quit, probably to move onto better things. I think this was their downfall, and also getting rid of the cheese bar and putting an overwhelming 'chic' bar in it's place with over sized HD flat screens. I suppose they hoped to get a wider customer base? A cat fish eatery is now taking over the space.
But that is only a small part of my history in Columbia that has disappeared. The real place, the one that defined my life for more than two years, and gave me purpose every Thursday and Saturday, was SHATTERED. At barely 20 years of age, Tia and Bevin got me into the gigantic dance/ once concert hall club.
Bouncer- "Can I see your ID?"
Me- "uh..."
Tia- "The cops took it from her"
Bevin- "Yeah, she's over 21"
Tia- (with sad face) "Would I bring someone underage here with me?"
Bouncer- "OK"
I was in.
I met/became great friends with a lot of people there. For example, Mikey the bar tender, who was in grad school, Upstairs Jason, who was mine and Bevin's upstairs neighbor on Rosemary, or Troy, a 50 something single woman who danced with me on Saturday nights. At Midnight on my 21st I was at SHATTERED (and they overlooked the fact they had been serving me for months). On Saint Patrick's day I was there, drunken slow dancing with Tim to some Irish band. After Tim and I graduated from college we took his two best friends there, got crazy and danced our asses off all night. It was one of the most awesome places in Columbia. I saved money each week so I could go there on both Thursday and Saturday.
On Thursdays they had bottomless cup for $5 and 80s to now electro and new wave. Thursdays were typically regulars only but although the club, being huge, felt empty, we made the best of it.
Saturday was the main event, 80s night. If you are from Columbia or lived here when Shattered was open you probably down talked the club. Most people I met over the years made fun of me for going there, including friends who judged it as a not cool enough spot. However, I took their judgments as proof of their insecurities and still do. People who didn't like Shattered 1) thought that only losers, asshole, and townies went there 2) usually weren't the dancing type or only danced to hiphop like over sexed maniacs 3) didn't know how to relax and have a good time with a diverse group. Saturdays were proof of the amount of different people who went there. From Mizzou football players (who happened to one night get jacked up by some bouncers after starting a fight) to whole wedding parties after their reception was done. And then there were the regulars who I often danced with.
It closed on Saturday, December 16th, 2007, actually Bevin's birthday. She would have come into town but had work and that weekend a snow storm hit most of Missouri. Nick and I ventured there by foot in the freezing cold. Tim met up with us later after work. Everyone who had ever loved the place seemed to be there. Pixie, the DJ, played everybody's favorite songs and most of the night the dance floor was a flood of bodies. It was really amazing. We sat up on the stage area, which gave you a great view of the whole club. They probably were over capacity by 12am. The whole night was incredible.
They kicked almost everyone out around 2 am (30 min. after bars legally close) but let the remaining people, made up of regulars and workers, stay till the booze was gone. Pixie kept playing songs, and Mikey kept pouring the drinks. Tim and I left around 430am, I think. Upstairs Jason later told me that when he left the sun was rising.
And now it is gone.
My haven, the one place I would go to all by myself and just enjoy the ambiance, was no longer there. People still debate why it closed. It is now a pool hall, and not a very good one at that.
After Shattered I found new watering holes and friends and life went on, with less dancing but still went on. However, I sometimes dream of dancing to New Order's "Temptation" and Joy Division's "Ceremony" with Bevin, sweating and jamming our heels into the wood floors.
The Diner downtown hasn't been doing so well, rumors have it. Tim and I say that if the Diner, being the last thing in Columbia worth a shit, closes we are out of here. (Tim and I already plan to leave but we'd never visit if it closes! I guess there is still Flat Branch?)

Pictures: From top to bottom- Tim, Jason and Dave after graduation. Tim and I last summer at 80s night. The view of the crowd from the stage on the last night. Mikey, after hours, serving shots straight from the bottle to the mouth.