CLT Blog

This Valentine’s Day be a little different and give a gift that keeps giving back at The Red Door Store. This year, give your Valentine some flowers and candy, but also treat them with a gift you both can enjoy.

The Red Door Store is Charlotte’s erotic boutique headquarters. Visit any of their Charlotte locations to shop for your Valentine today!

Here are the Charlotte locations:

———————
Woodlawn Store:
200 W. Woodlawn Rd Suite I
Charlotte, NC 28217
Monday – Thursday: 11am – Midnight
Friday – Saturday: 11am – 3am
Sunday: 1pm 7pm
(704) 523-5332

———————
Independence Store:
5301 E. Independence Blvd
Charlotte, NC 28212
Monday – Thursday: 11am – Midnight
Friday – Saturday: 11am – 3am
Sunday: 1pm – 7pm
(704) 566-8898

———————
UNCC Store (NEW LOCATION):
9605 N. Tryon St., Suite E
Charlotte, NC 28262
Monday – Thursday: 11am – Midnight
Friday – Saturday: 11am – 3am
Sunday: 1pm – 7pm
(704) 595-9099

Mez and Kazba at The EpiCentre are really pushing their Valentine’s Day weekend events.

They have a cool concept. Mez is for couples, and Kazba is for the singles. Each venue is setting up to entertain each group appropriately. I can imagine both venues will be decked out this weekend.

Here is a video provided by Rebrand Media:

The recent rise to stardom and subsequent media craze for MTV’s Jersey Shore cast rose my interest into looking at celebrity appearances at nightlife venues and how it affects business.

The Carolinas are not known for having random celebrity sightings too often. If you see them out and about, more than likely they are being paid to be there. On a few occasions I have ran into celebrities that were freely checking out our humble nightlife. I bumped into Rick Flair at The Sunset Club (Charlotte, NC), Pauly Shore at Suite (Charlotte, NC), Ben Roethlisberger at Trio Club (Charleston, SC), Michael Jordan at The Forum (Charlotte, NC), Charles Barkley at ESS Lounge (Raleigh, NC), and a few others.

For the most part, every celebrity has a manager that handles his or her appearances and the venues deal directly with them, not the celebrity. The manager is in charge of booking their appearances and the associated contracts. Very rarely do venues deal directly with the celebrity prior to them showing up on the day of the event.

In the past I have seen some very successful celebrity appearance events and some very unsuccessful events.

Successful:
MJ from MTV’s 2004 Real World Philadelphia was probably the best appearance I have seen to date. This was years ago at Time Lounge in Charlotte, NC (now closed). MJ was not in a vip booth and isolated from the crowd. He was dancing, taking pictures, hugging and shaking hands, bartending, running the door, etc… He did it all. He was the most engaging and accessible ‘celebrity’ I have ever seen in the nightlife. Usually the celebrity will show up sometime past midnight, stay in an isolated booth away from the guests, might say a few words on the microphone, and leave before the venue closes. NOT this guy. He was there way after they closed hanging out with the staff and having a great time. It was a huge success for the venue.

Unsuccessful:
Tommy Lee at HOM in Charlotte, NC (now closed) on Valentine’s Day 2008. To say that this was an expensive celebrity to book would be an understatement. He was VERY expensive. HOM attempted to book Lee on Valentine’s Day which is traditionally a couples night out. Attendance was on the lower end. Due to contract confusion, Lee was late arriving at the venue as well. The upside to the event was that Lee was going to DJ that night, not just be a celebrity appearance. The added talent that he brought to the table was a bonus for the crowd.

I spoke to nightclub owners across the Carolinas to get their opinion on what makes or breaks a celebrity appearance and their thoughts were all fairly similar. Brandon, owner of ESS Lounge in Raleigh, NC put it bluntly, “Right celebrity, for the right type of venue, at the right time…”

Getting the ‘right’ celebrity is key. Venues need to make sure that the celebrity they are bringing in represent their venue genre and clientele. Skip, manager of Wild Wing Cafe on Market St. in downtown Charleston (and a past reality star himself) says, “You have to be very careful about the people (celebrities) you have appearing at your club or bar. You wouldn’t want the cast of Real World invading your, say, martini bar”

Time is everything! This old saying stands true with celebrity bookings as well. Catching an up and coming star is a golden ticket to big profits down the road. Venue owners who watch the trends of popular culture and know what is becoming famous are able to contract celebrities at lower rates before their booking fees explode through the roof. “The Jersey Shore cast is now getting five times what their original fees were due to the growth in their celebrity status”. Kevin Marcusee, owner and operator of Town Tavern in Charlotte said “booking a celebrity appearance can be good for business if you can book someone who is hot and you can get them at a good rate. It is key to book celebrities months out before they are really popular”.

In my opinion, to make a celebrity appearance work well for a business, the celebrity has to be more than just a sight to see. They must be accessible to the guests, engaging, friendly, and of course, affordable. In the end, any business wants their guests to walk away from the event thinking ‘that place (club/bar/whatever) just introduced me to [celebrity name]’.

Here are a few other thoughts from influential nightlife venue owners and event makers around the Carolinas:

Wayne Evans: Tunnel ultralounge. Myrtle Beach, SC
“While there is an additional cost associated with bringing in talent, a carefully selected host can be great for business. A properly planned and executed celebrity hosted event allows a club owner to make additional profits as well as build the reputation of the business, while providing something new for club goers to get excited about.”

We asked Wayne to comment on whether these promotions should be used as a tool to build a night or to sustain an already established night. Here is his thoughts:

“Both! If you are looking for a way to build a night, a host that is identifiable with your target demo can really help. For instance, if you are working on a college night promotion, bringing in a relevant host that appeals to the college aged demographic can be a valuable crowd pleaser and help to establish credibility with your customer. Likewise, an established ‘regular’ night can get stale and bringing in some sort of low-cost special host is something new and exciting for your established patrons and be a tool to help bring in new patrons as well”.

Kevin Frazier: City Limits Saloon. Raleigh, NC, Wilmington, NC, and Charlotte, NC
“I have brought in a few reality stars and it adds a little bit but it is not a money maker for our venues. The Jersey Shore cast will draw people into the bar but I could book a national band for the same price and see twice as much sales”.

John Sharkey: Sharkey’s Pub. Greenville, SC
“Celebrity appearances quickly make your spot ‘buzz’ worthy. If you do the research and know your demographic then the cost is worth it”.

Tony: Infuzions. Charleston, SC
“Celebrity appearances are good for your venue because it brings a lot of business to you but also leaves everyone with a good impression about your spot. Just make sure you book a celebrity that will actually show up”.

Constantine Mouzakitis: Sleeping Giant Productions. Charlotte, NC
“As opposed to NYC or other large cities where the potential for spotting celebrities is high and they walk in off the street, Charlotte has to import them. It adds value to an event and makes it fun. Strong buzz is what drives events and what better way to create a buzz than one of your favorite celebrities participating, performing, or even just appearing”.

“Its always tougher dealing with agents or managers so making and building the relationships with the celebrities personally is important. Celebrities can be DJs, actors, performers, and even popular people in society. Be conscious of events that are solely driven by the celebrity appearance. Without the presence of great entertainment and service it won’t matter who is there. The experience needs to meet overall expectations”.

As a country girl raised in front of a farm in Maryland, I had always thought city life was the type of life I wanted. There always seemed to be something going on, somewhere to go and something new to try.  After going to college at Wingate University outside of Charlotte, I moved back to Maryland and found a home in Baltimore. City life charmed me, I loved being able to walk around, people watch and find a favorite bar in great neighborhoods. 
Life stepped in and offered me the chance to live in South Korea and teach English for a year. After I went to Central America, an experience that completely changed my life. Maybe it was something in the beer? I returned Stateside and after slugging it out in Myrtle Beach for a few months I decided to move back to Charlotte and couldn’t be happier. I’ve always found Charlotte an interesting mix of it’s Southern heritage and cosmopolitan change.

Called the Queen City one would assume that the nightlife is posh, glitzy and glamorous. Which is true, there are countless clubs where you can dance the night away such as Halo, Forum and Butter. But if that’s not your thing there are plenty bars with a downtown feel if you know where to look. That’s where I come in. I’ll be exploring the city one bar at a time to find out what makes Charlotte truly the Queen City. With a mix of arts, college students, White collar workers uptown and blue collar workers who were born and raised as Tar Heels, Charlotte has something to make anyone feel at home.

Times are hard.  People are broke or unemployed, business is down everywhere.  I am a member of the unemployed and I have noticed an increase in the amount of people out during the week as I go into month 8 of doing nothing.  As the economy stays down people are trying to not kill themselves by going out and being social or just drinking away the feelings.  Feelings are bad.  I have managed to find good specials in many different areas of town making it possible for a poor person as myself to get out for cheap.  My employed friends hate going out with me as there is no alarm clock cutting my night short.  I need more unemployed friends…or hey how about a job, Universe.  So here’s a short list of Mon-Thurs stuff to get into.

Mondays:
Brixx Pizza in Blakeney — $1.95 domestic microbrews (this is a chain wide special).  I like Brixx.  The bartenders are always very friendly and quick on service, they have an excellent beer selection, the atmosphere is intimate but, not crowded and they turn on their heaters outside for smokers.  I know everyone is super happy (including me, a smoker) that we are forced outside but, don’t taunt us with unlit heaters.  That invokes rage while freezing one’s ass off.  I have been known to pick one bar over another because they use heaters.

Angry Ale’s – $2 Domestics.  Sadly this used to be $1, you can’t really post on Facebook that it’s Dolla Beer Holla night anymore.  What?  That’s catchy.  Sometimes it’s a little frat boy bar but, most of the time Angrys is a good chilled bar to go to.  Also, their wings Angry Ales style are amazing. 

Tuesday:
Duckworth’s – $2.50 drafts and pizza night ($11.99 large up to 9 toppings).  You are noticing the beer trend huh…beer is the cheapest over liquor and wine and if you truly are broke then you know that (plus it’s my favorite beverage…except for coffee, nothing beats coffee).

The Melting Pot — Kings Dr. location.  Mon-Thurs the bar menu is half priced from 5-7 at the bar.  This is cheese and dessert basically and really do you need anything else?  How about half priced bottles of wine on Tues. under $75.  We’ve almost been kicked out of there twice. 

Wednesday:
Cosmos — uptown half priced appetizers and half priced martinis.  I’ve not been on a Wednesday in a really long time…something about salsa dancing?  I didn’t want to leave Wednesday out.

Thursday:
Town Tavern — starting at 9pm you can play beer pong downstairs with some 25 cent drafts.  They also have $2 drafts starting at 5pm.  Also the female servers/bartenders where school girl outfits…everyone likes that.

Pizza Peel — local’s night with live music.  Last Thursday it was $3 beers from certain Mecklenburg county breweries.  Also every night you can play beer poker for $2.50.  The higher the card the better the beer…you could end up with a $7 beer!  If you haven’t been to the Pizza Peel check it out…fantastic pizza and a huge beer selection.  Bonus:  Tuesday night is pint night you get to keep the glass…that is if you don’t drink too much and forget to take it with you…repeatedly.

The Sunset Club has three upcoming events that you definitely do not want to miss!

Join them Wednesday, January 27, 2010 for a Scotch tasting!! Complimentary admission and free parking!!

The tasting will feature: Glenmorangie 10yr, Glenmorangie 18yr, Glenmorangie LaSanta, Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban, Glenmorangie Astar.

Cigar features will include Macanudo 1968 Robusto & the Villiger 1888 Robusto cigars.

_________________________________________________________

On Thursday, January 28, they will be extending their Cigar Evenings event to welcome everyone from the Fight Night for Kids charity function.

If you are attending Fight Night for Kids or if you simply want to enjoy an evening of class, cocktails and cigars, please join us this Thursday, January 28. 

Admission is complimentary for the evening.

__________________________________________________________

Have you made plans for THE BIG GAME yet? Why don’t you come and watch it at The Sunset Club?

February 7, 2010, New Orleans and Indianapolis will go head to head to see who’s going to be the National Champions!

You are cordially invited to come to The Sunset Club to watch the game! We will have 4 TVs along with our ceiling mount screens and HD projector screen on so that you don’t miss any of the action!

Along with more football than you can handle, here’s what else you get:

$10 Admission gets you a great party and a buffet to die for!
Nacho Station
Hot Wings
Spinach Dip
Asian Meatballs
Sliders
Biscuits
Pizza Bites… you can refuse that!

An additional $10 gets you ALL YOU CAN DRINK draft beer! Not to worry, we will have our full service bar open for all cocktails!

BLOODY MARY SPECIALS and Shots for you when your team scores!

Doors open at 5pm

Please RSVP with Rachel at Rachel@sunsetclubcharlotte.com.

The past year has been tough on a lot of people. Jobs are scarce and the economy sucks. What better way to take your mind off the troubles than to win yourself a free cruise?

Here is your chance!

Carolina Nightlife is giving away a FREE Cruise for two on Carnival Cruises! The best part is, you can go on the cruise whenever you want!

To enter the sweepstakes, all you have to do is click the link below and Tweet about the sweepstakes. Easy huh?

By clicking the link below you will be forwarded to Twitter and you will have to tweet about the cruise sweepstakes to be entered into the drawing. Carolina Nightlife will keep track of everyone who has participated and a drawing will be held at the end of March 2010 to determine to winner!

Click HERE to Tweet about Carolina Nightlife’s FREE Cruise Sweepstakes and enter yourself to win!.

Once you have logged into your Twitter account, post the following tweet to be entered into the drawing:

I just entered the @CLTnightlife FREE Cruise Sweepstakes at http://tinyurl.com/ybx8rhy RT for entry!

Good luck everyone!

As one venue in town celebrates its 12th Anniversary this weekend, another opens their doors for the first time.

Butter, located at the NC Music Factory, is yet another highly anticipated opening that did not let anyone down!

Compared to other cities around the Carolinas, Charlotte is already far and beyond the most upscale. With the opening of Butter this weekend, that statement is more true than ever before.

Butter is nestled into the center of the NC Music Factory with two-stories of fabulous decor and lavish attention to every detail. Two separate DJ booths entertain patrons on both levels playing a mix of styles and genres throughout the night. One large bar area with plenty of seating welcome the guests into the upper level entrance. Also located on the upper level is the patio lounge area overlooking the fountain and valet parking area. This will be a super hotspot during the warmer months.

Impressed yet? You should be…

Downstairs is just as lavish and extraordinary. As you make your way down the stairs you get a feeling that you have found yourself in another city. You cant imagine that this is still Charlotte!

Exiting the stairs on the lower level you are flanked by two large bars which seem to keep up with the large crowds swarming around them. The dance floor is in the middle of the room and on all sides are VIP tables with bottle service and cocktail waitresses running around.

Probably the most impressive element of Butter is the lighting. Every inch of the venue is elegantly lit showing off all the decor.

NC Music Factory is still a destination location with only Butter and HALO open. Time will tell if this new location can light the fire and grow this new nightlife district in Charlotte.

Pictures from last night’s opening are in the photo viewer at the top of the blog.

Beads for Needs is a nonprofit dedicated to raising funds for children’s charities in the Charlotte area. Each February, Beads for Needs presents Charlotte’s premier Mardi Gras-themed fundraiser – an event created and executed exclusively by young professionals for young professionals.

In total, local children’s charities have received more than $140,500 through Beads for Needs.

For the ninth consecutive year, hundreds of Charlotte partygoers will enjoy a Mardi Gras celebration complete with all the pageantry of Bourbon Street, including live music by Mr. Potato Head, food and beverages from area restaurants and THOUSANDS of beads, boas and masks.

This year’s event will benefit A Child’s Place, an organization dedicated to ensuring homeless children get the education they need to break the cycle of poverty. A Child’s Place helps to provide stable, appropriate education to the more than 2,900 homeless students in the Charlotte area as well as support services for students and their families to help ensure academic success and long-term stability. For more information on A Child’s Place, visit www.achildsplace.org.

Tickets are $30 in advance and $40 at the door, which includes all food / beer / wine. For ticket information, visit www.beadsforneeds.org.

WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010
      7:30 – 11:00 p.m. ET

WHERE: Andrew Blair’s
1600 Montford Drive
Charlotte, NC 28209

Southend’s upscale lounge, The Sunset Club, is turning 12 this month. On January 23rd, a select few of loyal customers and vendors over the years will celebrate this momentous occasion in true Sunset Club style with an elegant party.

Few venues have the luck to celebrate even just a few anniversaries. The Sunset Club is about to celebrate their 12th! That is thousands of parties, countless bottles and cases, and memories that will not be forgotten.

Only a few spots in Charlotte that are 100% nightlife related can boast such an old age. Bar Charlotte, probably most notably, is enjoying their 14th year in Charlotte and still going strong. Tutto Mondo, located in the same complex as Sunset, on the second floor, is closing out it’s 11th year in business.

Other REALLY old Charlotte Nightlife spots include:
Tremont Music Hall- (old, just not sure the year?)
Amos’ Southend- (old, just not sure the year?)
Coyote Joe’s- 1991
Dilworth Billiards- 1979
Double Door Inn- 1973
Scorpio’s- 1968

I am sure there are many more hidden oldies but goldies out there. If you know of some, let me know.

For more information on The Sunset Club, please visit their website.