NORWICH – When Dave and Melissa Thomas first moved to Norwich, they noticed there wasn’t a lot for teenage kids to do on the weekends. Given their history as club owners in the Denver area, they decided to do something to fix that.

On Friday, the couple will host the grand opening of The Warehouse, an alcohol-free dance club for middle school aged children and up. “We had a couple of clubs in Denver, and we wanted to do it here in Norwich,” Dave Thomas said. “Kids need something here.”

The Warehouse is located at 16 American Ave. in Norwich, at the former site of The Sleep Shop. Dave used his experience in construction to turn the building from a storefront and office space into an open area with a dance floor, game area, seating space and a snack bar. Thomas said he has been working on the building for the last six weeks, and with only a few days left before the grand opening, he said there is not a lot left to do.

Given his experience owning and operating clubs, Thomas said he wants to promote The Warehouse as a safe, fun experience for teens. He expects to operate with a nightly staff of 10 employees, and hopes to include a police officer in the list of employees. “We just want to cut off the problems before they can start,” Thomas said. “Having a cop here is the best insurance policy we could have.”