SAN DIEGO — A country bar in Mission Valley that opened up in the 90s has been empty and silent since it closed five years ago.
CBS 8 has been Working for You, looking into abandoned properties throughout San Diego County and many have written to us about the former InCahoots building on Mission Center Road. The old country dance hall and saloon looks like a scene from an old western film. The doors are boarded up, there’s shattered glass on the wooden deck and the walls are vandalized.
“You can see they've had to board it up and people trying to break in,” said a Mission Valley resident.
Nancy Brady was a longtime patron of InCahoots.
“There were so many good memories there and it's such a shame it has fallen in such disarray,” she said.
InCahoots announced in 2018 that they had to close at the end of December. The general manager said the building and land had been sold and their lease wasn't going to be extended. Five years later it still sits empty.
“No one has done anything with it, it just sits and InCahoots in my opinion could still be open,” said Brady.
She, Karoon Barkmaki and others emailed CBS 8 to find out what is going on with the old country nightclub.
“The neighborhood is wonderful. It's thriving,” said Barmaki. “InCahoots sort of sticks out as an eyesore."
Public records show Bridge California LLC, which says it is a furniture company, owns the Mission Valley property and bought it for $3.7 million. Pablo Cardenas in Vista and Schubert Chaio, a Phoenix CFO, are listed in the documents. CBS 8 called several numbers listed for both but there was no answer or there wasn't a working line. CBS 8 also called the number on a retail sign leaning against the building, but we’re told they don't have this property listed.
“I thought it would be nice for the new families that are moving in here for us to have something local that could possibly serve for entertainment or for retail,” said Barmaki.
CBS 8 archives also found San Diego firefighters responded to a fire on the outside of the building in 2020.
There were no code violations listed on the city’s website but there were at least three encampment reports in the last three years on the Get It Done app.
“It’s not right,” said Brady.
What's left of a place that brought many good memories is now a rundown abandoned building.
“It’s getting for me, scary. I've been here 20 years and I'm afraid,” said a Mission Valley resident.
CBS 8 will continue Working for You to find out what's the next step for the old InCahoots.
Editors Note: The original story reported that InChoots is in Council District 7, Raul Campillo's district, it is in District 3, Councilmember Stephen Whitburn's district.
WATCH RELATED: Exploring the popularity of country music at In Cahoots in San Diego in 1993