A longstanding downtown Buffalo club venue will soon be reopened as Eden Lounge and Nightclub. At this point in time, two sister-owners, Lauren and Maria Lamendola, have hired club General Manager Jim Hellerer to undertake the process of refurbishing the 4000 square foot interior of the former Icon and Club E as a live music night club. I asked Jim about Eden and he told me that "it's a huge venue which can hold upwards of 400+ guests. It's a place to give downtown office workers etc a place to go and enjoy themselves aside from the younger crowds on Chippewa. I myself am 40 and know the mid 30's - 50's crowds need a place to go and feel comfortable. I have been in the business for 24 years and have owned neighborhood bars and managed places from Roadhouse on NF Blvd to recently a casino restaurant in Las Vegas. Eden is slated to open in October, we will have VIP booths for bottle service and great views of the huge stage. There will also be an upper VIP bar with a booth hovering above stage for better views."
View image
As for the types of music that Eden plans on promoting, let's just say that it's varied. "After walking through the place for the 1st time in my life, I immediately thought LIVE music Wed-Sat," Jim continued. "To give you an example of what you might expect, we're going to have a band play from 6-9pm - that band might be country, jazz or blues. Then we'll have a 9-12pm slot that might feature a hair band or something louder. Then, late at night we plan on featuring techno DJs."
As the band line-up is being formulated with both local and eventually national acts, the club's interior is going through a host of changes. There's a brand new 95' horseshoe bar, and another new bar found at the second floor VIP area. The owners have built a small stage to hold a baby grand piano, which should complement the other end of the spectrum - TouchTunes music and a professionally installed sound system that are all interconnected with LED lighting timed to a DMX control board. All of the customer booths have custom pull-out drawers underneath so that ladies can store their purses, and that's also where personal outlets and USBs will be located. There's a coat check room, and a fenced in patio with a garage door that opens to the two full-sized parking lots. "Not only will we be supporting the local music scene, I take pride in the fact I am doing business with a majority of local vendors," Jim added.
It looks as if downtown's nightclub scene just got amped up a bit. It's good to see another empty club venue come back into the fold. For those live music lovers out there, get ready to dance and party to sounds delivered by some of the best bands in the area.
Eden Lounge and Nightclub (Facebook) | Twitter - TheEdenLounge
391 Ellicott Street
Buffalo NY
716-844-3352
Icon - Thursday Dollar Blues, good times at that place.
Great nights! I used to love hanging out on the second level watching over the club.