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Are ultra-lounges too upscale for Indy?
Posted: Apr 30, 2008 in Nightlife
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Gelo closed earlier this year. So did Seven. ICE Lounge (which used to be Lotus) is under new ownership -- again -- and the owners plan to retool the club for a more upscale vibe. They've added two VIP areas and made repairs to the building with an eye toward hosting a variety of events.
But does Indianapolis care?
When "ultra-lounges" began popping up Downtown, in Broad Ripple and on the Far Northside, my response was an amused, "Really?"
Indianapolis is a large city with a large appetite for alcohol, but I never thought it was a big market for VIP areas.
So, I assumed that there had to be an army of 21-to-35-year-olds flush with cash, roaming the city in search of Cosmopolitans.
When I visited Gelo, Seven and ICE Lounge, hardly anyone was there. I wondered if Hoosiers really go for the glitz and glamour, so I asked Indy.com users what they think.
Alpha. had a lot to say on the matter. "Intimacy and exclusivity," he wrote, "are what made spots like the old Velvet Room, Nicky Blaine's and D'vine Wine Bar's original location havens for the socialist (sic) elite and tastemakers of this particular urban center."
Some people said they enjoyed the upscale experience, but KittyConner nailed the general sentiment: "The exclusive atmosphere of the ultra-lounge is an anathema to our sense of Hoosier hospitality," she said. "Indy just isn't a place for long lines and bouncers with lists."
IMN_Steve made an interesting point about the transient nature of swanky clubs: "I get the impression the clientele an ultralounge attracts is more into the flavor-of-the-week and will quickly move along to the latest/greatest thing opening rather than stay loyal to one venue."
It's true that high-end clubs here, and across the country, have short lifespans. Big-money club owners open venues in New York, Los Angeles and Miami with a planned obsolescence of six months to a year. But without a regular retinue of A-list actors, musicians, athletes and celebutantes to build hype and deliver dollars, Indy's party promoters must rely on regular Joes and Joanns to keep the dance floors full.
"When we hear of lounges closing regardless of the reasonings ..... we have to look at what we can do better to improve overall service. Atmosphere is key," said Lisa Young, spokeswoman for ICE Lounge.
The success of Blu, Blu Martini, D'Vine and Subterra demonstrates that there is a market, albeit a limited one, for high-end, late-night entertainment in this town. But, as Indy.com users pointed out, regardless of whether it's a sports bar or velvet-rope lounge, it will live and die by its user-friendliness.
I've been to just about all of these "ultra-lounges" at least once. You buy a bottle with an extreme markup, and get to sit and drink with some of your buddies in a closed-off area. In my opinion, this is only fun when you're out with a bigger group for a special occasion like a birthday.
The "regulars" at these places are usually guys who want to impress the ladies by showing them that they can afford VIP at the latest club, or girls that are trying to find guys that are trying to impress them. There's nothing wrong with that, but these aren't exactly loyal customers.
I've been to most downtown/northside bars and the ones that thrive have a few things in common.
1) Indy residents like to watch sports and drink so make sure you have lots of flatscreens.
2) Lots of people like cheap DLB (domestic light beer), so make sure you always have some on special.
3)People like bar food, so make sure you do bar food well and provide solid service.
4)Throw some pool tables, dartboards, and/or Golden Tee machines into a pub atmosphere and your all set with the 21-30 crowd.
I've never heard of any of these places, but then I'm not big on bars in general. I've had clients try to impress me by taking me into the VIP in Vegas clubs, but it doesn't do anything for me except make me charge them more as they obviously have money to waste. The same goes for when people rent out some pimped out Hummer limo to drive up and down the Vegas strip. Yah, it beats a cab, but what a waste of money. You could buy a car for what it costs to rent one of those out for the day.
neal, i think the same amusement you felt when these started popping up is about the same feeling i got when i saw million dollar condos popping up near the north and south-east parts of downtown. is there a market for the yuppie urbanite apartment dweller in a town that offers little youth culture in the city's center? i think the two are related in that if you go to school, work, have friends and family in the cities center, you would want to live there too. yet in a city that has at best crappy public transit and only two grocery stores in the downtown area, how can you lure rich people to stay somewhere without the infrastructure?
the same could be said for the bars you write about; without youth money (over paid yuppies), youth culture (movie stars and famous athletes), and a youthful feel (downtown is boring), how can these places sustain? the upper north-side places are kind of a joke to me since they are all either in or near a strip mall. its just wasteful spending for an empty good time that ends up the same as it would at any nicer hole in the wall anywhere in the city.
A GROUP OF FRIENDS AND I VISITED THE 'ICE' LOUNGE. IT SUCKED. WE STAYED THERE FOR A FEW HOURS AND ONLY A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE WERE INSIDE W/ US. THEN WE WENT UP TO THE TOP FLOOR. IT WAS LINED W/ BUG INFESTED MATTRESSES AND NO PEOPLE. I WAS THOROUGHLY DISGUSTED.
Being a club DJ for 22 years, I would say just give the people a good vibe, sports on some good flat screens (buy the subscription packages, A dj that does not have his head up his ass and will talk to the people that are there, make sure the prices are in-line for any bar thats in a 20 mile radius of where you are and you are golden. Too many places think they will re-invent the wheel with these upscale joints and the bars that key into the people are the ones that outlast em all!
Alex B