HILLSBOROUGH - Katy Stewart has been a regular at the Blue Bayou Club for most of its eight years of existence in downtown Hillsborough.

Starting next month, she hopes to be its owner.

The Bayou, a comfortable and popular live blues, zydeco and R&B club on Churton Street, has been on the edge of closing for several months. Operating a bar in a down economy isn't easy, and the Bayou has struggled financially. Owner Gary Lee last year began looking for a buyer, preferably one who would keep the spirit of the Bayou intact.

One potential buyer bailed out at the last minute earlier this year, and Lee made it clear that the Bayou's days were numbered unless someone stepped in with an offer.

Enter Stewart.

"I heard about the Bayou closing, and everybody was just waiting for someone to show up and take it over," said Stewart, who lives in Hillsborough and works as a nurse at Learning Services in Durham. "Some friends and I were talking about the idea of taking it on, just kicking the idea around over a beer the way you do.

"But I couldn't let it go. The Bayou is a wonderful, iconic part of Hillsborough, and couldn't just watch it disappear."

Stewart has begun the process of raising the money to buy the club, but she needs partners. She's seeking investors to join her, at $1,000 per share.

"I would have the majority of shares, but I can't do it all by myself," she said. "It would be kind of like a co-op, owned by myself and the other shareholders.

"A lot of people want to help. They just need somebody to lead the way. I've had a lot of folks tell me, 'We're glad somebody stepped up.'"

Lee initially planned to close the Bayou at the end of June, but he agreed to keep the club open for a few months while she worked to round up investors, she said. The club has stayed open through July and is scheduled to remain open through next month.

"Gary's giving her until the end of August," said manager Jay Weatherly, who handles the booking and bands. "I have shows booked through August, and I'm working on September and October. I'm remaining opimistic."

Stewart, who has worked as a bartender and says she has always wanted to run a club, said she has commitments from 10 to 15 investors - including a Facebook friend who lives in England - and needs 25 to 30 more.

"More is better," she said. "If I could get 50, that would be wonderful."

If she gets them, Stewart said, she plans to maintain the Blue Bayou essentially as it is, but she does want to make a few tweaks to help it succeed.

"I might bring in some different genres of music," she said. "I grew up near Chicago, so blues is in my blood. Blues has sustained the club, and I wouldn't want to change that. But I think it might also be a good idea to mix in some things like classic rock or Americana. We have bluegrass nights already, and the crowds love them."

She said she also wants to feed the Bayou's customers.

"Not a full-scale restaurant, but light bar food - pizza, sandwiches, wings, that kind of thing," she said. "When people drink, they need to eat, and if they leave the club and go up the street to eat, they might not make it back. I'd rather let them stay at the Bayou and eat there."

Even as she works to raise enough money to buy and run the club, Stewart is preparing to tackle another challenge.

"I'm rehearsing to sing at open mic night in a few weeks," she said. "And I thought opening a bar was scary."

For more information, see

www.bluebayouclub.com/AboutUs/KatysPage.html or e-mail savethebayou@gmail.com.