LEXINGTON, KY -- New nightlife will be in full bloom this spring in downtown Lexington, with six new establishments set to open by mid to late May.
All six are targeting older and more sophisticated patrons and hoping to attract clients from the downtown area and beyond with concepts that range from a high-end restaurant/nightclub combo to martini lounges and VIP treatment.
In order of their planned opening dates, here is a preview of downtown's newest additions to the nighttime economy.
Silks
A new concept for the northern side of Rosebud by owner Sandy Fields, Silks is now open everyday at 4 p.m. Fields hopes the re-thought space that previously housed her Scarlet Lounge will attract an older crowd than the one that often shows up to Rosebud after midnight on weekends.
"I'm hoping to cater to people who don't really have any place to go that isn't just kids. But I certainly don't want to run the kids off," Fields said. "I have a lot of friends that just don't have any place to go anymore, because a lot of restaurants close their bars at 10:30."
Fields said Silks, adorned with jockey silks and paintings, ties together the theme of Rosebud, named for 1914 Derby winner Old Rosebud.
Fields has also recently re-upped her lease on Rosebud into 2015.
Baker's 360
From the owner of Newport's Arnie's on the Levee, UK grad Steve Taylor's Baker's 360 has taken the top floor of the Chase Building, former home of the Lafayette Club, and stripped it down past the studs to remake the space into a hybrid of high-end restaurant and posh nightclub.
Opening within the next week, Baker's 360 will eventually operate seven days a week for lunch as well as evening dining and entertainment. The restaurant side will feature a menu by former Jeff Ruby chef Tony Efstratiadis that will fuse a contemporary steakhouse with sushi and other seafood dishes. Diners on the Chase Building's 15th floor will also be able to sit alfresco-ish with new opening windows.
"We're not trying to be the most expensive place in town; we're not going to be," Taylor said. "We're going to have the business people taken care of all day."
After 10 p.m., the nightclub side of Baker's 360 opens complete with a 360-degree bar, DJ and VIP area, including its own VIP bathroom. The restaurant also has three private banquet rooms accommodating from 10 to 60 people.
SKYBAR
For years the basement of the building at the corner of Main and Cheapside has been packed to see Larry Redmon perform at his bar. Starting mid-month the other end of the red brick building will see the opening of Vince Carlucci's SKYBAR, billed as "an upscale martini ultra lounge."
With lounge-style seating and views of downtown Lexington from the ninth and top floor of the building, Carlucci plans for a low-key happy hour highlighted by piano music. The atmosphere will evolve into a DJ-driven nightclub sound as night falls.
SKYBAR will be open everyday but Sunday, but will be available for private parties and open on special occasions.
SoundBar/Blu Lounge
Borne of a desire to see a bigger city-style bar in Lexington that allows for drink service without ever going to the bar, SoundBar/Blu Lounge will open in late April just south of Limestone and High. While it will open in phases with a second floor and possible rooftop deck to come, owners David Jones and Isaac Kurs are looking to bring a little bit of Chicago to Lexington.
"(It's an) upscale lounge - upscale not meaning expensive," Jones said. "It will be priced no more than anybody else in town, but we're not going to be in plastic cups either - no pitchers and $1 shots."
Kurs, who previously worked in Chicago nightspots, said he never understood why places like the ones he worked at and visited in his former metropolitan home didn't exist here - "a nice lounge that you could sit at with a full-service bar."
"We hate having to stand in line for a drink," Kurs said. "I think when you go to a bar you should be greeted and served wherever you sit right away and never have to wait for that."
The first phase of the lounge, with the entire first floor and large patio, will open seven days a week late this month.
The Loft
Owners of the Chase Tap Room, Robert Garrison and Chris Heflin, have decided one Victorian Square location is not enough. The Loft is readying to house those looking for a "comfy bar that has VIP service" on weekends starting in May.
The Loft will feature DJs and occasional live acts in the space above Brooklyn Pizza, with three VIP booths that require a two bottle minimum, one with a three bottle minimum, and a terrace VIP bar on the interior balcony.
"Our goal is to make it the best liquor selection in Kentucky," Heflin said while pointing to a wall he plans to have covered floor to ceiling with liquor bottles. Heflin and Garrison had initially thought of opening a Las Vegas-style bar, but decided to merge the Vegas elements, including go-go dancers, with a Lexington club. Initial plans look to have the bar opened on Fridays and Saturdays, with the space available other times for private events and possible theme nights.
pulse nightlife
Owners Daryl Royse and Brad Shepherd have spent since November reworking an old lawyer's office on the corner of Short and Market to create pulse, which will incorporate a dance club, lounge and show bar.
Open six days a week starting late in May, pulse nightlife will feature cabaret shows on Saturdays, rotating Friday night entertainment with male and female reviews, "female illusion shows" and acoustic bands and other events throughout the week.
"We're being very open Ö It's going to be gay-owned, but we want the entire community to come in," said Royse. "We're not going to be a gay bar; that's not what we're going for. We want to be nightlife, and we're the nightclub format."
"We felt like Lexington needed another venue. It's the right time for our community and for the community at large," said Shepherd, who, like the other owners, is excited to see the new mass of entertainment options come into the downtown.
Building a critical mass
The wealth of new options has not deterred the soon-to-be new owners opening shop downtown. Most see the growing number of downtown entertainment venues as an advantage.
"The more the merrier," said Carlucci. "It's one-stop shopping. One ride down, and they can walk within a couple of blocks and not have to get in a car. It's something to offer everyone. There's a need for (this kind of thing downtown), and obviously a lot of people recognize that."
It was that recognition that attracted Taylor to turn the Lafayette Club's former space into something decidedly more modern. "It gives us everything that we wanted," Taylor said. "We see downtown as being the future of the area."
Heflin from the Chase said the success he and Garrison have had since opening in July gave them the same confidence the newcomers have. "The success of those of us who have come into the downtown area and gone ahead and tried to bump it up a little bit has got others looking around and thinking Ö 'They're doing it. There actually is a market for it and there's a way to be successful at it.'"