| Built with an eye for New York in mind, the two-tiered Cherry Lounge has seen its First Street S.W. neighbourhood through better days. This month at the ripe age of six, Cherry holds its own as a small oasis in a nightclub megamarket.
Boasting three of Calgary’s longer-running nights of dance music – AI V on Mondays, DJ Pump on Fridays and Delerious on Saturdays – Cherry avoids the chronic sameness that pervades the biggie dancehalls of this city.
John Liwag, the manager since its inception, ruminates on the nature of six years of modest cherry-poppin’ success. "We just do our thing," he says. "We don’t have the budget of a big bar, to appeal to a huge cross-section of people, so we cater to those who are looking for something a bit different…. We bring in shows that our clientele would appreciate, not just the shows that will sell a thousand tickets."
Liwag readily admits that due to their size, they’ve always had to try to be more selective in their approach. "We’ve never made the kind of money that big clubs do, so our bottom line has always been in sight. In fact, this year has probably been one of our best because we’ve hit our balance."
In a club scene that has seen the homogenization of the larger venues that cater to the one-club-fits-all mentality, venues like Cherry have been allowed to flourish.
"Our most important lesson is resourcefulness," says Liwag. "We’ve got great staff, some of the best talent in this city and a quality venue."
If you want to get in on the celebration, the Cherry Lounge will host a Beatmatrix old-school party on November 10, a sixth anniversary party with DJ Pump on November 11, and house DJs the Lawnchair Generals with Jon Delerious on November 12. |
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