When Noah Ray McMahan, Justin Martinez and Mike Barnhart opened Beauty Bar — a franchise that has nine siblings across the country, all featuring the vintage kitsch of '50s hair salons — in the former home of the Snake Pit, at 608 East 13th Avenue, they envisioned a hipster crowd. But over the past twelve months, they've seen a little bit of everyone, McMahan says, which has been a nice surprise. For example, Martinis and Manicures, which runs from 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 7 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, brings Cherry Creek ladies, hipster girls, and guys from the nearby tattoo shop. "Forty different kinds of women in one spot for happy hour is a surprise," he notes.
The owners are trying to keep their entertainment as diverse as the clientele, focusing more on monthly club nights than weekly nights to keep things fresh, and doing everything from partnering with the Denver Roller Girls to bringing back DJs K-Nee and Big Styles's So What! The latter was one of the longest-running nights in town, moving among several venues between 1992 and 2006.
McMahan says he's surprised that people compare Beauty Bar to bigger dance clubs in the area; he sees the place more as a neighborhood bar with a dance floor that has neighborhood drink prices and no cover on some nights. And a year after Beauty Bar's opening, the surrounding neighborhood finally seems to have realized that the Snake Pit is gone for good.
Come out and celebrate with the beautiful people when Beauty Bar marks its first anniversary on Thursday, June 30, with local audio-visual mix master Bobby C Sound TV and J-Rocc, founder of the World Famous Beat Junkies hip-hop crew. The party kicks off at 10 p.m., and there's no cover.
Club scout: Not far from Beauty Bar, Lala's Wine Bar & Pizzeria (410 East Seventh Avenue) will launch its summer concert series on Thursday, June 30; from 9 to 11:30 p.m. on Thursdays through September 1, the venue will feature performers including Bobby Reginalli, Ryan Flick, Angie Stevens and the Big Motif.
This past weekend, Chez Cirque Dueling Pianos, which had opened in the Landmark project just over a year ago, held one last bash before closing its doors in anticipation of reopening elsewhere. There's no word yet on where the new spot will be. @ Cheers recently opened in the former Chasers/Golden Cue space at 11964 North Washington Street in Northglenn. The bar, now run by the owner of JR's Silver Bullet in Thornton and England native Rob Kirk, will bring in local rock bands on the weekends and host karaoke on Thursdays.
