POULSBO — Café Jacamoe is closed but its owners hope to reopen the New Orleans-style restaurant and nightclub elsewhere in Poulsbo.

Café Jacamoe, 8990 Front St., Poulsbo, closed Dec. 26, leaving its fans consoled by the stardust of the final song — and by the cafe’s possible relocation.

Most of the café’s 10 employees were laid off, owner Tammy Mattson said.

The reason for the closure: The 1915 building was flooded during the rainstorm on Oct. 10, which occurred as Mattson and Rob DiFilippo were remodeling the former Hare & Hounds into a New Orleans-style nightclub.

“The storm did more damage than was understood,” said Mattson, who also owns Tizley’s, a downtown Europub. The damage and potential for future flooding requires that Café Jacamoe close while property owner Bill Austin makes repairs.

The 100-year-old building — which in its history has been a creamery, a gas station, a florist, and an English-style pub — leaks. The Oct. 10 rainstorm overwhelmed storm drains and a pipe designed to direct stormwater away from the building and to the gutter, Mattson said. The storm caused sinks and toilets to back up inside the building as well, Mattson said. Paint, fresh only 11 weeks ago, is peeling.

On Dec. 29, Austin said he was replacing sheetrock and putting in a new floor. He installed a step at the back to keep stormwater from coming into the building. He also needs to fix the leaky roof.

“It’s going to take a couple of weeks,” he said.

“It’s kind of a difficult to operate a restaurant out of this building, with the kitchen upstairs and a dumbwaiter that keeps needing repair. [But] it’s all fixable.  I’m going to do my best to fix everything so they can start up again. I’d like them back. They had a fine product.”

Mattson expressed regret at closing Cafe Jacamoe. “The buzz is working. People have been checking us out, and now we’re closing on them.”

What a buzz it was. Café Jacamoe added to downtown’s hip vibe, adding a touch of the Big Easy to a downtown featuring Spanish, Italian, Mexican and American menus, art galleries and vintage stores, two independent book stores, breweries, coffee shops, a live theater, two museums, and a marine science center.

On any night at Café Jacamoe, visitors might listen to jazz/fusion guitarist Tim Bertsch, or classic jazz by the Trace Marsh Trio, while dining on etouffee or jambalaya or sipping on a St. Charles.

Most of the musicians teach by day, and they and Café Jacamoe were working together on starting a Rising Star program, which would enable local students to perform with artists.

Mattson said she wants to take that concept somewhere else (and is keeping www.cafejacamoe.com live in anticipation).

Bartender Alik Crockett has worked for Mattson at Tizley’s and Café Jacamoe for 11 years. He plans to take some time off and backpack for a while.

He is an artist behind the bar. The drinks he enjoyed making the most: The Old Fashioned and the Ramos Gin Fizz (a New Orleans specialty).