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The Crystal Method is likely to draw a ‘mixed crowd’ to WETbar. (Photo courtesy the Crystal Method)
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HOME > SOVO SCENE > NIGHTLIFE
By: ROB BECK
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SPECULATION AND RUMOR ARE bound to fly in an ever-fluxing Atlanta nightlife scene. With bars and clubs opening, closing and tweaking formats on a seemingly regular basis, it’s no surprise that ads for a party at a venue called 10th & Spring — located at 960 Spring St., the same address of popular gay club WETbar — sparked speculation that the two-year-old venue was making a change.
The website listed in the advertisement, www.10thandspringatl.com, features images of straight couples, and no mention of the club's gay regulars, even when you click on the WETbar link. The site also claims to sell memberships to the bar, provides links to descriptions of WETbar's various spaces, purports to offer event planning and table reservations at WETbar and promises a “reality TV” show based at the club this fall.
Krystee Manifold, WETbar’s general manager, says that the bar is not changing its name or format, and that the ad and website were simply meant to advertise a one-time party put on by an independent promoter, as WETbar does on a regular basis. At first, the plan was to spin off the party into a series staged with that promoter.
“It was actually supposed to be a test site,” Manifold says. “I don’t really know why it’s fully up. They had done that one event there, and they were wanting to do additional events, but we actually ended up deciding not to do any more. I'm not sure why it’s still up as a regular site.”
At press time Wednesday, Manifold said she plans to look into having the site removed now that there are no plans to continue working with the party promoter.
RUMORS OF A SWITCH WERE further fueled by a recent increase in events at WETbar in partnership with Liquified, a party promotions team that draws straight and gay mixed crowds with DJs who cater to a broader audience. Liquified at WETbar continues this week with popular electronic music duo the Crystal Method on Feb. 23.
The increasing Liquified parties are simply a factor of the Saturday availability of artists Liquified books for the venue, Manifold says.
“Our partnership with Liquified is kind of tricky, because they’re bringing in a lot of big names,” she says. "I know that’s definitely something that helps out the crowd overall as well as the club.
“We try not to have them interfere with our — quote-unquote — ‘gay’ nights, but sometimes they do overlap,” she says, noting that the combination usually makes for a fun time.
“The people we had there [last] Saturday with the Liquified crowd, be they gay or straight, seemed to go off pretty well, and everyone seems to get along pretty well,” she says. “That’s always a plus. The more the merrier.”
“THE MORE THE MERRIER” is a good way to describe the venue’s approach to getting people through the doors. Manifold stresses that the bar is definitely not going straight, but she would like to increase its appeal in an ever-diversifying neighborhood.
“We’re in the middle of Midtown, as the city continues to grow, and there’s a big mix of people now,” she says. “It’s gay people, it’s straight people, it’s old and young and college kids and professionals. It’s a little bit of everybody, and that’s really what we’re trying to make happen here.”
She says that courting a wider base of customers is a necessary business step in an industry where the next hot thing is always right around the corner.
“While we obviously want to keep our original fan base and our gay crowd, we also have to look into reaching those other people because, let’s face it, nobody’s going to be at the same club three and four nights a week; it just doesn’t happen,” Manifold says. “So we have to reach out to people who hopefully want to be there some on Friday night, some on Saturday night, and ultimately end up with two really strong nights. That’s what we’re aiming for.”
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