Thursday, 2 June, 2011 - 00:00
Maher’s in a club of his own
The number of small, late-night bars is growing, but veteran nightclub owner Bob Maher remembers a time when there was only one.
Bob Maher
Founder / Boss Entertainment
Bob Maher's Boss Entertainment is a major entertainment venue player in Perth. His initial foray into the sector started with a cleaning business which serviced nightclubs where her also worked behind the bar. When Pinocchio’s opened in Murray Street in 1967, he moved to the new venue and became manager. After briefly leaving the industry to sell real estate his love for nightclubs was reignited when he and his wife “babysat” Gobbles for three months for a friend.
During that time, a new club, Beethoven’s, was opened, and Mr Maher was poached to be full-time manager, negotiating a 20 per cent share of the new business knowing he didn’t want a career as a manager. His career in nightclub ownership was born.Mr Maher’s portfolio has included: Gobbles, Peppermint Cloud, formerly known as Pinocchio’s, the remaining share of Beethoven’s, The Old Melbourne, Fitzgerald’s, The Racket Club, F Scott’s, The Hip-E Club, Black Betty’s, The Aberdeen Hotel and Eurobar – just to name a few.
Mr Maher now shares responsibility with his son Ben, running the Boss Entertainment business from Northbridge.
