Much-loved town nightclub forced to close its doors
A POPULAR Middlesbrough nightclub has announced “with great sadness” that it has closed its doors for the last time.
Tiny, on Middlesbrough’s Albert Road, took to Facebook on Tuesday evening to share the news that they will shut down, three years after they reopened.
The club is a much-loved spot for late-night revellers in the town and has always been a safe and inclusive space for those in the LGBTQ+ community, with popular Teesside drag queens often taking residency there.
Club owner Matt Campbell has spoken to The Gazette about the devastating decision to close Tiny, explaining that the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing cost of living crisis were the final nails in the coffin for the popular bar.
“The full statement from Tiny reads: “It is with great sadness that we have to announce that Tiny will no longer be open from here going forward.
“We’ve had an incredible ride the last few years with you all and so want to thank each and every one of you for all your support.
“As you can imagine, the pandemic has had a really huge impact on businesses such as ourselves and we have truly felt the effects.
“The whole team at Tiny are utterly devastated, we understand this is going to be a point of discussion among many of you, but please do not message staff to ask for details. We need time to come to terms with this incredible loss.
“Our ethos at Tiny was to provide an inclusive, safe and welcoming space for everyone, no matter who you are. So our doors may be shut, but please take that forward with you and remember to always be kind to one another.”
Matt re-opened Albert Road’s Tiny back in May 2019, with an unforgettable debut night.
Matt said: “Our opening night coincided with Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Middlesbrough.
“We were so lucky that we ended up with Nick Grimshaw and Annie Mac doing a surprise DJ set at Tiny on the Saturday of the festival, it was amazing and certainly an opening night to remember!”
He explained that they had tried their upmost to keep Tiny alive postpandemic, but it unfortunately became unfeasible for the spot to remain open, now closing for good.
Matt added: “The pandemic held us back a lot, we’ve been given a lot of time and support from our landlord but we just can’t keep going any longer.
“It’s a decision that hasn’t been made lightly, the nightclub industry has been affected so much by Covid and the cost of living crisis, which is absolutely a massive crisis!”
“I’m absolutely gutted, we all are, but it is what it is.”
Following the statement, messages of overwhelming support and love have flooded Tiny’s Facebook page.
Matt hopes that those who visited the bar are able to carry on its ethos and everything it stood for into the future; promoting kindness and a chance for people to be “unapologetically inclusive”.
He said: “We want to keep Tiny’s legacy alive and I hope everyone is able to go out into the world and pass on the kindness, care and inclusivity that we valued so much here.
“We look after so many communities in the town and we had so many exciting things in the pipeline, it’s such a massive shame that none of it will happen anymore.
“I really hope this isn’t the complete end of the Tiny journey and we’re able to do something again in the future, but we just have to come to terms with the closure now and take it all in.”