The Nightclub Scene in St. Louis is Rapidly Changing

When opening a restaurant or nightclub it's sort of a crapshoot. Some make it, some don't. You come up with a concept that you think will be successful, invest the money in equipment and employees and hope for the best. There are a lot of theories as to why some have staying power and some fail, but no one really has the answer. It has been the Holy Grail of the business for many years.

The Hi-Pointe Café, Frederick's Music Lounge, Velvet, Seven, Formula/Isis; all of them nightclub venues in St. Louis that have closed in the past year or so. Some of them were recent and fashionable additions to the scene, and some of them had been around for 20+ years. But it seems that in the nightclub business when one venerable institution closes, there's a new kid in town to take its place. There has been growth, for example, in the once run-down Grove area between Sarah Street and Tower Grove Avenue. The Atomic Cowboy, (which started as a small coffeehouse in Maplewood), Freddie's, Amp, and Novak's all have started up on that strip near Manchester.

Several new, often trend-setting establishments have sprouted in other parts of the city as well. Upscale clubs like Xes, Mandarin, Lucas School House, and Dolce have recently opened. Other venues that have opened recently or undergone rehabilitation are alive and going strong: places like Kyo, Loft Jazz Club, Copia, and Monarch. Some other places like Creepy Crawl have changed location and restaurants like Bar Italia and Mangia have expanded to include dance and music. Sometimes when your attendance is getting slimmer, it's a good idea to change your name and see what happens. This has been the case with Trainwreck being renamed Throttle and Nik's Wine Bar being transformed into the Filter Bar.