After only two years, the Martini Ranch (1317 14th St.) was having trouble keeping its customers corralled.
Vivacious partygoers, ready to kick up their heels, were constrained by the size of the dance floor. The booths were a little on the small side, and big parties felt fenced-in.
Then the owner of the place looked up into the vast open space above the front door – and an idea was born.
“Everybody wanted to dance. … There’s a big opening in the second floor,” says Matthew Engstrom, owner of Denver’s Martini Ranch plus the two other locations, in Scottsdale, Ariz., and San Diego. “We enclosed that and moved the DJ booth back against these two pillars so it gives everyone a wide dance floor.”
The downstairs area, “The Shaker Room,” moved to the top floor for maximum shaking space. The underground room morphed into “Velvet,” a new lounge for the more chilled- out segments of the party population.
New booths appeared all over the Ranch, perfect for relaxing and people-watching.
“We installed big, wide booths that are much more conducive to bottle service,” he says. “The other booths held about six people. These hold 10 to 12 people.”
Thus, wide-open spaces returned to the Ranch. Now it’s time to party.
This weekend the Martini Ranch celebrates its new look – and second anniversary – with two days of merrymaking.
Tonight is the official Two Year Anniversary Celebration, starting at 9. DJs Brian Howe and Frank E are on tap, and kamikaze shots are only $2. Odds are the Shaker Room will live up to its name.
The Grand Opening Celebration starts at 8 p.m. Saturday, again with the $2 kamikaze shots. DJ Frank E returns, with DJ Randy.
Engstrom’s adamant about keeping Martini Ranch balancing on the fine line between snooty club and regular LoDo bar.
“It’s an upscale-casual atmosphere,” he says. “We try to pour the best drinks we can with the best products, and give people the best sound and the best infrastructure, but we don’t really promote that you need to be clad in Gucci or Prada to be comfortable here.
“There’s a place for that, but I don’t like to have to dress to impress.”
Those are magic words to the dress-code- averse Denverites who’ve made Martini Ranch a LoDo hot spot since its opening. And that works for Engstrom.
“Denver’s a great market,” he says. “It’s so laid-back. You’ll never see us go into New York or Las Vegas.”
Wired
There are plenty of ways – legal or not – to stay awake, but one stands out above all others: caffeine.
Electronic-music fans will need plenty of it if they want to hang at the seventh annual Caffeine Music and Arts Festival in Littleton on Saturday. The giant concert will fill the Fat City entertainment complex (9670 W. Coal Mine Ave.) from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., with 30 electronic music artists, dancers, a fashion show and more.
“There’s a lot of energy in the air,” says Ha Hau, owner of Triad Dragons Entertainment, the event’s producer. “It’s an environment where people can express themselves. Everyone is so friendly because they all have something in common, their love for electronic music.”
Advance tickets are $40, available through groovetickets.com. For information, visit
globaldancefest.com, or call 303-575-1002.
Fashion flight
Fashionistas, unite. On Saturday, DC10 (940 Lincoln St.) hosts designer Adam Saaks of the Ed Hardy brand for a unique celebration of custom couture.
Saaks, who has designed custom T-shirts for the likes of Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Alba, will design outfits onstage with models 10:30-11:30 p.m. Then he’ll design shirts for partygoers until 1:30 a.m.
There’s no cover charge for the party, but reservations are required. Gather a group of fashion-conscious friends and call 720-771-3500 to RSVP.
Kathleen St. John is writing about night life in 7Days while Kat Valentine is on maternity leave. Reach her at kathleenstjohn@gmail.com or at 303-954-1568.
