A Toronto nightclub and bar that’s been a neighbourhood staple for almost 10 years is shutting down at the end of the month, and, according to its owner, it’s not happening by choice.
If you’ve ever spend a night out on King West — whether you’re currently in your party animal prime or those days are long behind you — there’s a good chance you’ve landed yourself at Early Mercy.
Founded in 2015 by the same team behind former Distillery District haunt, The Stirling Room, the space was an instant hit thanks to its refreshingly expansive interiors and regularly extended last call.
Whether you remember your visits to Early Mercy or they feel like more of a blur (thanks to that huge centre bar, no doubt), there’s no arguing that the club has become a pillar in the neighbourhood, outlasting many of the other ventures that flit in and out of the area.
After nine-and-a-half years, however, Early Mercy is gearing up to close its doors for good, after the club recently took to its Instagram page to confirm the impending closure.
Fittingly, the bar is going out with a bang with their last night happening on New Year’s Eve, throwing a huge party with, equally fitting, an extended last call at 4 a.m.
As the closure was certainly not due to any drop in business (as anyone who’s attended recently can attest), it seems odd that the Early Mercy team is pulling the plug on the beloved club, but, as co-owner Albert Rishes tells blogTO, it’s not them calling it quits at all.
“Well, we didn’t decide to close the club down,” Albert tells blogTO. “We were forced to close because our landlord did not renew our lease.”
And so, after nine-and-a-half years, during which business at the club has only continued to grow, which, Albert tells blogTO is an “anomaly” on the city’s club scene, the business “didn’t have a choice.”
According to Albert, the building was purchased three years ago by a new company and property manager, and where Early Mercy never had issues with the first landlord, “these guys were just a little more difficult to deal with.”
“We knew Early Mercy would come to an end eventually,” Albert tells blogTO, “we just figured we’d have another year.”
It’s not all bad news for the many frequenters Early Mercy has attracted over the past decade, though, because Albert confirms that a new concept — kind of like an Early Mercy 2.0 — is already in the works.
“It’s on King Street, very close to Early Mercy,” Albert tells blogTO, although the name and concept behind the space are under wraps for now.
“It won’t be the same name, but it’ll resemble [Early Mercy]; it’ll be a newer, trendier, nicer place, similar size, for everyone to come and party for the next 10 years.”
Albert tells blogTO that construction on the new place just recently started, so you can expect it to land on the buzzy King West club scene around mid-2025.
Early Mercy is located at 540 King West.
