It's hard to find a bar in Durham.
Due to a particularity in North Carolina state law, any establishment that brings in more than 70% of its revenue in alcohol sales must be classified as a "private club." The result: Most "bars" in the area are primarily restaurant/bars where food service competes with the drinks and only after the diners are gone are the tables pushed aside for a dance floor to be born.
Enter Lindsay Locke.
Locke, (Trinity '02), has spent the last two years putting endless time and money into Durham's newest nightclub, The Sirens Lounge. The club-at the corner of Markham Avenue and Broad Street, across from East Campus-opened to private guests last weekend and is now going public.
Locke's decision to embark upon the project was forged from her frustration with Durham nightlife during her four years here. A former sorority president and social chair, she was tired of the limited Durham options. "It became almost a joke," she said. "[My sorority was] spending $,2000 or $3,000 a night just to bus people to Chapel Hill."
And so the battle to open Sirens began. The nearly 100-year-old building required enormous renovations, and Locke spent seven months arguing before the Durham City Council for the building to be rezoned. Now, nearly two years after she turned down jobs in the corporate world, her lounge/bar/club has finally burst forth onto the Durham scene.
The renovation of the space itself is perhaps Locke's greatest accomplishment. The building had to be gutted, the floors redone, all new plumbing and electrical work was needed and the roof was resealed. The result is an impressive display of meticulous design and confident style. The space is separated into three rooms. Guests enter into a warm receiving area where bricked-over windows serve as sleek wine cabinets. The bar/lounge area lies further inside, and is dominated by an enormous red oak bar. Within the bar is Sirens' signature piece of decor-a six-foot-long, 155-gallon, 2,500-pound aquarium. More than 60 angel fish, minnow sharks and other fish swim inside. Flanking the bar on either side are plush chairs and sofas, accented by contemporary art paintings, amber sconces, a gas fireplace and a chandelier overhead. The floors are done in a tasteful faux-marble finish. Descending a staircase, one enters the spacious dance floor-which some of you may remember from the days of La Renaissance-equipped with a DJ booth. On Fridays and Saturdays from 10 p.m. on, a DJ blasts dance and top 40 hits on what Locke calls "9th Street's biggest permanent dance floor." The drink menu isn't long, but it is carefully-selected and reasonably-priced. Ten different wines are offered by the glass ($5 to $7); three draft beers are available in addition to bottled beer ($3 to $4); and the lounge offers six specialty martinis ($9), including "The Sauna"-raspberry and citrus vodka, triple sec, lime juice and a splash of cranberry-and the "Neapolitan," a blend of dark godiva, white godiva and Stoli Raspberry. Sirens has yet to establish a definitive crowd, but Locke knows precisely the demographic she'd like to see. Young professionals, law and medical students, professors and Duke undergraduates are all in her target audience. "I made this place for the Duke students," she said. Because the space is zoned as a private club, Sirens is required by law to be a members-only establishment (Ringside, in downtown Durham, operates the same way). Annual memberships, however, are being offered for as low as $5 to students ($20 to the general public)-scarcely more than the weekend cover charge at other Durham nightclubs. Members are allowed unlimited guests for no charge. Only time will tell if Locke's heavy investment pays off. In addition to the precarious parking situation (parking is across the street at the Dollar General), the overall class of the place makes it a risk in a town where quasi-biker bars actually account for a good fraction of the nightlife. For now, though, we can at least call The Sirens Lounge a welcome addition to the Durham scene. The Sirens will be offering drink specials (draft beer and house cocktails) for students with a Duke ID this weekend. A minimal dress code is enforced.
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