Nicholas Fevelo /for New York Daily News
Laughing Devil Comedy Club Steve Hofstetter decided to take his club off the market after the strongest buyer wanted to turn it into a bar. Hofstetter instead took a majority stake in the club and will lead an expansion involving movie screenings.
Just kidding!
The Laughing Devil Comedy Club will remain a joke shop after being pulled off the market, the owner told the Daily News on Tuesday.
Queens’ only comedy club was up for grabs for more than a month and the strongest offer was to convert the comedy club into a bar.
But owner Steve Hofstetter decided to buy out another business partner for majority control, rather than selling the property off.
“I’m not willing to let it die. I love this place,” said Hofstetter, a standup comic and actor. “There’s a lot of risk, stupidity and having a wonderfully tolerant wife.”
Suitors contemplated keeping the venue as a laugh factory, but got cold feet when they realized the rigors of the funny business, Hofstetter said.
“There are a billion little details, and that doesn’t even involve the marketing,” he said, citing the juggling of talent, scheduling and staffing as a handful of daily challenges.
The direction and aesthetics of The Laughing Devil will be undergoing a major overhaul, he said.
The club will start playing classic movies during the daytime when there are no performances, including “Spaceballs” and “Animal House.”
A separate bar area will be created for patrons who want to drink without paying to see any performances.
The Laughing Devil was originally put up for sale in July by Hofstetter because he moved to Los Angeles and his general manager was focusing on a newborn baby.
He will continue to run the club from the West Coast with several other partners.
