Downtown’s apparent hipster-haven success story hasn’t been the moneymaker it might seem, according to its owner. “It’s definitely a struggle, no matter what people may think,” Paul Devitt says of the Las Vegas location in his six-franchise Beauty Bar chain. “It’s been the biggest struggle of my Beauty Bar career, but I still think we can make it work.”
Seated in the back corner of the newly remodeled nightclub as regulars begin streaming in for a “March Makeover” Thursday-night celebration, Devitt appears relaxed and pleased with the site’s facelift: walls adorned with purple glitter over a coat of dark red paint, the incorporation of seven old-style beauty-salon chairs topped with hair-warmers and a shift of the bar’s longtime back-room DJ station to front-corner lounge space. Beneath the owner’s warm smile, however, lurks a sense of uncertainty, about whether the Fremont East enterprise he signed on for nearly three years ago will ever reach the heights he once expected.
“There was nothing going on [Downtown] when we moved here, and there’s still not enough going on, in my opinion,” Devitt says. “I think this year is a critical point for Downtown. It’s kind of like now or never.”
Ironically, Beauty Bar’s battle to succeed has been a boon for live-music enthusiasts, as Devitt, Vegas GM Bree Blumstein and their staff have adapted to the crowded club landscape by morphing into a semi-regular performance space (Austin and San Diego are the only other locations to host live music, and Vegas is the only site that does both indoor and outdoor shows). The Hold Steady, The Brian Jonestown Massacre and Tokyo Police Club are just a few of the popular indie acts to play the venue to date, and Blumstein’s upcoming calendar is packed with more intriguing names, including: Xiu Xiu (April 9), MGMT (April 17 or 19), VHS or Beta (April 29), Autolux (May 5, for the bar’s third-anniversary party) and White Rabbits (May 29).
“We didn’t design this bar for live music; we designed it as a hangout,” Devitt says.
“But [whereas] in New York we can open the doors on a Thursday night with a DJ and do 250 people, here we can maybe do 50. We do more business on First Friday than the following week [combined]. So we’re trying to do whatever it takes.”
That includes parking an aqua-colored trailer in the club’s back-alley outdoor space. Set amidst tiki lamps, lounge chairs, a picket fence and a pink flamingo painted on the building’s white facade, the trailer will serve as a de facto “green room” for bands and VIP guests, and should provide a new theme for future Beauty Bar concerts.
“It’s our white-trash backyard,” Blumstein says. “That’s what we’re going for. Come back here, drink your PBR and listen to some great music.”