Blacksburg's downtown has great food, drinks, and people, and although it isn't particularly known for its dancing and live music, it isn't for lack of trying.
Draper Road's Abella Cafe, once known as the notorious OC dance club, has had to re-apply for its liquor license and officially drop the nightclub aspect. Down the street, The Lantern has had to close its doors as it faces a pending lawsuit, ending its short-lived practice of hosting live music.
It would be a shame for Blacksburg, a town with a pool of over 25,000 potential student patrons, to lose ground in the nightlife scene. If Ceritano's can successfully create a new downtown dance venue, there are a few considerations crucial to its success.
First, a club that doesn't serve alcohol would be a very temporary establishment downtown. However, it would be in the management's best interests to keep control of the alcohol situation. A reputation for underage drinking or excessive revenue from alcohol not only brings pressure from the authorities, but also alienates the Blacksburg community, and turns a nightclub from a useful establishment to the town nuisance. Most Blacksburg businesses manage to follow the rules very well.
Such a club should also take a page out of The Lantern's book and hire a good promoter. The key to promoting in the absence of both a nightclub and a live music locale is creativity. Nights devoted to varied atmospheres and genre-crossing performers would appeal to a larger group of customers and keep the experience from being cliche and stale.
Finally, the venue needs to be secure. There may be nothing more damaging to a downtown location's reputation than brawls, harassment, and frequent police stops. A successful club should hire enough personnel to keep things civil and classy. Safety and professionalism will draw large crowds. Students don't mind getting X's on their hands and waiting in a line if the venue's staff is a well-oiled machine
As Blacksburg continues to expand commercially, some addition to the downtown nightlife is expected. Any business looking to round out the already-quality downtown experience should make sure its offering lives up to standards worthy of Blacksburg nightlife and the students that enjoy it.
The editorial board is composed of Sara Mitchell, Phillip Murillas, and Daniel Lin.
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