Onetime owner of notorious Port Orchard bar opens nightclub in Bremerton

The owner of a notorious Port Orchard bar shut down in 2004 is taking another shot at the nightclub business.

Scott Hlinka, identified as "Scott Rocc" in the Dec. 25 print edition of The Bremerton Patriot, opened Studio 21 on Thursday, located at 4111 Wheaton Way.

He is the previous owner of Bay Street's Harborside Bar & Grill, which he purchased in 2004 from former Port Orchard City Councilman Ron Rider. The bar gained a reputation for fighting, underage drinking and noise complaints. Port Orchard Police Chief Al Townsend and former Mayor Kim Abel urged the state Liquor Control Board to close it down.

Hlinka withdrew an application for a liquor license for the Harborside in 2004, then tried to open another establishment in Bremerton, but the board turned down his application, saying that Hlinka operating a bar represented a "public safety concern," according to documents reviewed by board spokeswoman Anne Radford.

Radford said Hlinka's latest application was approved because of the time that passed since Harborside closed and his business partner, New Delhi restaurant owner Gurdarshan Kaberwall, having a liquor license without incident.

Radford also said the city of Bremerton was sent a notification of Hlinka's application and no restrictions from the city were requested.

Hlinka represented himself as "Scott Rocc" to reporters because it is his DJ name and how he is known at other nightclubs. He said he also didn't want his real name in the press because of privacy concerns, but denied using his DJ name to distance himself from Harborside Bar and Grill.

His wife was identified as "Shari Rocc."

Studio 21 got off to a rough start. The application drew a letter of complaint last summer, and the nightclub received a verbal warning from the board for a delivery of beer to the studio on Dec. 30, the day before the temporary liquor license took effect, Radford said.

Hlinka said the situation was a misunderstanding with the beer's supplier and the beer was returned.

"It was just a breakdown in communication," he said.

The permanent license is set to take effect at the start of February.

"He's gone through the process and anything gathered about his history would have been taken into consideration," Radford said.

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Contact Bremerton Patriot Staff writer Andy Jones at ajones@bremertonpatriot.com or (360) 308-9161.

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