Questions about the future of one of Seattle’s most famous music venues arose last fall when The Crocodile announced the closure of its two smaller rooms, Madame Lou’s and Here-After, citing their unprofitability, and laying off roughly 100 employees. It turns out that was just the first part of the plan to dig the beloved Belltown club out of a financial hole that is deeper than outsiders realized.
After 35 years of independent ownership, The Crocodile is up for sale.
“We needed to figure out the best next step to get us through for the long term — hopefully another 35 years,” said general manager Shaina Foley. “We decided that (this sale process) was going to be the best path for us to do that.”…