Behind the Blue Door
The real reason Houston's "secret" make-out bar is closing: Inside a real estate controversy
Just months after marking its 40th year in business, mythological make-out bar Marfreless revealed that it will soon permanently close its blue door at 2006 Peden, the unassuming, unmarked spot that it has called home since 1976.
The notorious lounge minces no words about the culprit behind the closure: Weingarten Realty, the owner of the River Oaks Shopping Center, which was allegedly unsympathetic to the "rising cost of doing business."
"While we are actively seeking a new place to call home and another door to paint blue, we have recently and unfortunately joined the ranks of those small businesses which have been forced to adapt to the ever-increasing cost of fees levied by property owners," reads a letter on the bar's website, addressed to friends and "fellow establishments of the evening."
A tentative closing date has been set for March 30. In the meantime, patrons are asked to drop by for a final drink (or one last discreet assignation) and to share Marfreless memories on Twitter using the hashtag "MarfMoment."
