Infamous sticky carpet sold off in chunks as nightclub has a revamp

A nightclub infamous for its sticky carpet has sold dozens of souvenir chunks of the fabric after a joke suggestion became a reality.

The Acapulco has been a fixture of Halifax nightlife for decades and thousands of clubgoers have become attached to its garishly patterned carpet.

The club, which claims to be the oldest in Britain, opened in 1961 and laid the colourful floor covering – which quickly become a local fixture itself – in 2003.

Simon Jackson, the owner of the “the Acca” as it is widely known in West Yorkshire, said his carpet had been unfairly maligned but insisted its reputation could be used for good.

The idea to sell it off started as a “tongue-in-cheek joke” between friends but quickly “snowballed” as word got out, he said.

Within an hour on Wednesday afternoon, the club had sold more than 100 pieces of its carpet.

“It’s gone really, really mental,” said Jackson. “We thought we would be chucking most of it but we’ve had to pull some bits out of the skip, if I’m honest. It’s going great guns.”

For only £5, customers can own an A4-sized slice of the 19-year-old fabric. Big spenders can take home a framed and engraved piece for £50.

Buyers can even order a piece of carpet from a specific place in the club, including outside the toilet, below the bar or the well-worn fray at the edge of the dancefloor.

Proceeds from the sale will go to the local Street Angels charity, which carries out night-time patrols in Halifax to check on the welfare of drinkers.

Jackson, 55, said he had been inundated with emails from patrons who have a special connection to a specific part of the Acca.

One person got in touch to say they had scattered their grandmother’s ashes in the club, he said, while others have pointed to the exact spot where they first met their partner.

“It’s got some history there,” he said. “It is the oldest club in the country and it’s probably the oldest carpet in the country. The carpet is probably older than some of our customers.”

The Acca has enjoyed a loyal fanbase in West Yorkshire for decades, remaining popular when competition from superclubs, festivals and cheap foreign holidays have seen hundreds of other nightclubs go to the wall.

While many are no doubt drawn to its special offers – 75p drinks before 11pm and free entry for the first 200 revellers – its popularity is also due to its place in local history.

Jackson, who first worked at the club in the 1980s and became its owner in 1995, said he hoped the carpet sale would raise £3,000 for charity and put a spring in people’s step: “I suppose with the rest of the news going on it will just make people smile.”

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