“We’re bringing big city style to Asheville. We’re the first to do it, and there’s a demand for it,” said Steve Ar, who is teaming up with Kevin Chen and David Chi to open Room Nine at 124 College St., right across from Pack Square Park. The space was most recently home to City Billiards.
Ar is the owner of Yao and Asiana restaurants, while Chen is the owner of Wasabi restaurant. (Chen’s family owns the College Street building.) Chi, who will serve as general manager of Room Nine, said he has wide experience in restaurants, managing nightclubs and as a dance instructor.
“We’ll try to cater to everybody,” said Chi, adding that he’ll be the first one on the dance floor to get a party started.
“I think it’s great exercise. I might put a sign up that says, ‘Three dances a day keeps the fat away.’ That’s a good mission statement,” Chi said with a laugh.
Each night of the week will have a theme, Chi said.
Click over to read the full story. Follow Room Nine on Facebook for updates.
8 Comments
To me its all about the music. It could be in a dumpy crapy venue and i would go if the music is amazing. It just kills me when you go to a club and the music sucks Im like do you know how many house parties ive gone to and theres some kid spinning incredible cutting edge music, stuff ive never heard before. I went to Scandals i think 3 times. The last time i went the DJ was the bartender and he would run back and forth doing both. Are you serious!!
“We’ll try to cater to everybody” is not a winning business strategy. Deep pockets involved here, so they can probably stay open as long as they want to.
Weren’t there a couple of dance clubs in between Magnolias and Vincenzos for a few years? These guys are certainly not the first ones to open a dance club here and I’m just not sure downtown Asheville is a “dance club” kind of town, but good luck to them. Might go over better down around Biltmore Park.
These guys should know better. Scandals has been around forever, Broadway’s has been around forever, but every time Asheville has tried to open a typical big city club it has failed horribly. How many things have come and gone on N French Broad? Not to mention the spaces down in Biltmore Village. They’re certainly not the ‘first’ to lose a lot of money installing expensive sound and light equipment in a downtown space. Hopefully owning the building will take some of the pressure off, but I will still be surprised if it makes it a year. They both come from successful families, but this seems like a bad move.
When I had my shop downtown, we would always hear from tourists, “where can we go to dance?” I would always send them to Scandals, but I do believe there is a need for another permanent dance club.
I’m pretty sure Scandals has been open for at lest two decades.
It has, but there’s a slim to none chance that some popped-collar bro will be able to make headway with the hot ladeez (sic) who dance there.
i hope there’s an 80s night!