DeKALB |Paul Baggett, former owner of Club 122 and the recently closed Krystal’s, is looking toward the future in hopes of opening another similar business.

Baggett, an NIU alumnus, started his business venture in DeKalb in 2005 with Club 122, which was located at 122 S. First St.

His vision for the place was to give a place for people under 21 to hang out.

“I opened Club 122 up because there weren’t any places at the time in DeKalb that met with the hip-hop demographic,” he said. “Being a former student, this was something I understood DeKalb needed firsthand.”

John Ugolini, owner of Kickstand Productions and good friend of Baggett, had nothing but good things to say about him.

“Paul’s a fun guy who has a lot of energy,” Ugolini said.

Ugolini remembers a time when the two did a show together.

“He went out of his way and interacted with patrons to make sure they were having a good time,” he said.

In 2008, the name of the business was changed to Krystal’s after Baggett received his liquor license.

Krystal’s recently closed over the summer due to economic woes, but Baggett made it clear that it had nothing to do with problems with the city because he had a good relationship with them.

“The decision to close was due to financial hardships,” he said. “City officials were very supportive of me during my five years of operation.”

DeKalb Mayor Kris Povlsen said Baggett is someone who is a good citizen who believes in the DeKalb community.

Povlsen added that he was also someone who has helped provide entertainment for Hispanic and Latino communities.

After closing down, Baggett looks back at what might have been and what he could’ve done differently to prevent his financial woes.

One thing he said that created an issue was disloyalty from former employees who worked at the also recently closed Campus Club, which was located at 1000 W. Lincoln Highway.

“One of the biggest disappointing things was a lack of loyalty that I received from former employees,” he said. “They took my ideas and themes from me and used them at Campus Club.”

Looking down the road, Baggett said he plans on opening another type of liquor establishment.

“I’m giving myself an 18-24 month timeline to when I’ll open up another bar in DeKalb,” Baggett said.