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Our Leah Stacy hit the streets to find out what you think
The Secret is out, and on a recent Friday night in the East End, I was in on it. It was exciting, mysterious and — to be honest — a bit dumbfounding.
As a regular patron of club Two89, 289 Alexander St., which closed in March, I was eager to see what new management had done to the place, now called The Secret.
To my surprise the walls were painted a provocative deep red, and the upstairs bar was now a VIP area. My friends and I took a seat in our usual spot downstairs in a booth next to the dance floor. Within 15 minutes, we were politely asked to move.
"We like to reserve this area for people who are getting bottle service," a man in a nice suit told us. He then offered us a drink menu, and as we contemplated ordering a bottle of Champagne, the changes finally hit me. It was a whole different vibe from Two89, which struggled to draw a crowd on some nights. And the new upscale décor and attitude made all the difference.
To some, the place might come across as uptight or snobby. To me, it's a clear sign of a growing trend downtown, especially in the East End. While Rochester has been a town where sports bars and Top 40 clubs have traditionally done well, upscale nightlife seems to be the hottest new drink on tap. And many club-goers are taking a sip.
The Secret's owner, Tim Tompkins, seems confident that his new establishment will work better than Two89, and with good reason. Tompkins also owns the upscale One Restaurant & Nightclub, which has become one of downtown's busiest night spots as of late. The club recently opened its upstairs dance floor and outdoor deck. Now, anytime after 11:30 p.m. on a Friday or Saturday, you can expect a long line at the door. It's something customers seem willing to deal with in exchange for a taste of New York City-style nightlife.
"It's the feeling of being someplace other than Rochester for a couple of hours," says Jaime LePore, 25, of Rochester. "Most of the upscale places give me the big-city vibe. Dressing up and drinking fancy drinks is always fun."
When One opened in the summer of 2007, the concept of a chic restaurant/club with bumping electronic music seemed questionable in a part of town where bull-riding and two-for-one drink specials are big draws.
"I definitely think it was a bit of a risk and a major investment in the area," Tompkins says. "We wanted to be on the cutting edge and wanted a great restaurant that had a complementary nightclub environment."
He seems to have succeeded. Coincidentally or not, Tompkins' vision was just the beginning. The following spring Tribeca Night Club opened in High Falls. The venue's atmosphere has become defined by its busy VIP booths and special promotions with companies like Ed Hardy and reality TV stars from shows such as Rock of Love.
And this year, the upscale trend has grown even more. Murphy's Law opened on the corner of East Avenue and Alexander Street and is already known for being packed from happy hour well into the night. Wish, an upscale club and lounge opened on Monroe Avenue in Pittsford, taking the place of the former Tasteology. And Hush (formerly The Bar) at 355 East Ave., has a members-only style with an upstairs VIP section and bottle service.
"To me, upscale is the new niche — the new trend everyone's going for," says DJ Dorian Leander, who runs UnSeen Entertainment, which puts on promotional events for Hush and other clubs around town.
Still, Leander acknowledges that the key to surviving once the trend dies down is being able to compete in places like East End. "How you diversify a club and an area is bringing entertainment in that draws everybody," he says. "In a given weekend in Rochester, you get thousands of people going out, and everyone's trying to get a percentage of that."
