The Geator’s ‘Memories’ nightclub up for sale in Margate
Memories in Margate opened in 1972.
Some loyal patrons loved Jerry Blavat’s Jersey Shore nightclub so much that they supposedly bought houses nearby so they could walk, dance to the oldies for hours, and shuffle home.
According to an April 30 Facebook post by Blavat’s longtime partner, Keely Stahl, Memories in Margate, a Shore staple for 50 years, is for sale. Signs on the window of the Amherst Avenue club, which opened in 1972, do not list a price, but urged potential buyers to email [email protected].
» READ MORE: Jerry Blavat, ‘The Geator with the Heater,’ dies at 82
A news release sent by the executors of Blavat’s estate Tuesday confirmed that there is no specific asking price but said proposals, “high and low,” will be reviewed. Proposals must be submitted by May 19.
“Purchase will include the property, contents within the property, Jerry Blavat’s one-of-a-kind record collection, and naming rights — exclusions apply,” the executors wrote in a news release.
On Tuesday, Stahl told The Inquirer that she created the Facebook post to dispel rumors around the future of the property. She said Blavat wanted the club to remain open.
“He wanted someone who could create the same energy there he did, but that’s going to be hard,” she said.
The executors, in the news release, said there would be “tribute events” for Blavat throughout the tri-state area and urged fans to follow the late DJ’s social media.
According to property records, Memories is owned by New Gold Inc, of Philadelphia, and assessed at $854,100.
Blavat, the energetic DJ known as “The Geator with the Heater,” died Jan. 20 due to complications from myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune neuromuscular disease that weakens the skeletal muscles.
He was 82.
“Best-case scenario would be, as Jerry wished, for it to continue as the kind of club he ran so people can continue to enjoy the kind of music he played and create new memories. And we’re all hoping to have at least ONE memorial event there before everything is final,” Stahl wrote on Facebook.
» READ MORE: From 2018: Why Jerry Blavat loves me (and literally everyone else at Memories in Margate)
Nearly 200 people commented on Stahl’s post, some of them praying for a divine intervention to keep Memories open for a 51st summer. Others hoped the club wouldn’t be turned into housing.
“Devastating news,” one wrote.
Many people agreed that Memories could never be the same without Blavat himself there, spinning records and chugging Wawa coffee, late into the night. Stahl, in her post, said she would like to hold one final memorial at Memories if the club is sold.
“If not, there are tapes of many of his broadcasts from Memories, which we might be able to play for you somewhere, somehow ... and re-create the legendary spirit and vibe of Memories in Margate and our beloved Geator for you all,” she wrote.