Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, June 3, 1993                   TAG: 9306030368
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-1   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY  
SOURCE: KEN DAVIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD                                LENGTH: Medium

WHO'LL BID FOR A NIGHTCLUB?

What was once a staple of Radford nightlife had all its contents up for sale Wednesday, and hardly anyone was interested.

Within the dimly lit confines of Sackett's nightclub, owner Jeff Chadwell looked on as Internal Revenue Service officials put the contents of the club up for auction, one by one.

Few buyers showed up, and those who were there were looking for bargains and bidding low - $5 for three desks and $15 for seven filing cabinets.

The IRS couldn't afford it.

"I'm afraid we're going to have to cancel the auction," Revenue Officer L.O. Burcham announced soon after it began, explaining to the angry and disappointed buyers that the sale was not reaching the minimum bidding amounts set by the IRS.

"The bidding simply did not go well," Burcham said. "We've got to protect the interest of the taxpayers."

The property first was seized by IRS officials May 10 for the nightclub's failure to pay federal taxes.

Like a governmental garage sale, the IRS decided to sell the contents of the club in hopes of satisfying a $16,758.22 lien filed Jan. 12, which covered taxes due for the first and second quarters of 1992.

Burcham said he could not comment on the status of the property, but he did say that the IRS could keep the property or return it to Chadwell.

Chadwell said he already has a buyer interested in the contents of the nightclub.

Although Chadwell said Sackett's was deep in debt, he had brought the business closer to profitability each year for the past few years. He blamed recent confrontations with the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control agents for causing him to lose business.

Sackett's was closed in late March when the ABC Board imposed an $1,800 fine and a 15-day suspension of the nightclub's alcohol license after hearing several complaints, including that alcohol was served to intoxicated patrons.

Chadwell said the ABC agents had also been staking out his parking lot for several weeks, which kept customers away from his club.

It's hard to say goodbye, Chadwell said, about the club he owned for 11 years.

He walks outside and takes a long look at the club's billboard, reflecting on the customers he has seen come and go over the years.

"They're very upset about all this," he said. "We were a close-knit group."

Regardless of his feelings for the club, Chadwell said, he is glad the financial and legal problems are over.

"I was getting sick of it all," he said. "It's been a long rough road."