A multi-million dollar renovation on an 11,000 square foot dance club downtown is scheduled to be complete in early 2010, but buzz is already building. The space — formerly occupied by Aubergine — is re-opening as FLUXX, a high-energy nightclub with an emphasis on dancing, and state-of-the-art lighting and sound equipment.
The RMD Group — the company that renovated the sexy Side Bar earlier this year — is hard at work on FLUXX, and developing ideas to keep the space, well, in flux, said Mike Georgopoulos, a managing partner for the RMD Group.
Georgopoulos gave us some insight into FLUXX and what nightlifers can expect from the bright, playful mega dance club when it opens next year.
San Diego News Network: What attracted you to the space formerly occupied by Aubergine?
Mike Georgopoulos: The thing that attracted us (RMD Group) to the old Aubergine space is we’re in a mode right now where we’d rather renovate existing space than invest in building a new space. It was more attractive financially for us to renovate the space. We’ve watched downtown become more saturated — we’ve been in this business seven years — and there is so much unused space now. The empty space is there. So, the main thing that attracted us to the Aubergine building is, from a financial standpoint, it made sense. Then, the location; the Aubergine four or five years ago was a vibrant club, and that location, the street — Fourth Avenue — has a lot of character. There’s a lot to offer there. There’s La Puerta, Café Sevilla, a few new restaurants. It’s the next emerging street, and it’s still centrally located. And, last, the building itself, the bones in the building, the wiring and the structure were in great shape, so it’s made for an easy renovation.
SDNN: What is the concept for FLUXX? What kind of atmosphere are you going to create there?
MG: We looked at a lot of different spaces. We had a concept in mind, the concept being a true dance club. And a novice would say, there is a lot of dance clubs downtown. But there really isn’t, if you think about it. The size of the dance floors or the flow of the room or the setup, in most places, is just not conducive to dancing. Most places are big lounges, or they are rooftop bars, and there are VIP areas, but if you look around it’s difficult to find a good, true dance club like they have in Vegas and New York and Miami. What we’re doing with FLUXX — from a renovation perspective — is similar to what we did with Side Bar. We’re knocking down walls, opening up the space, creating a flow; we’re increasing the flow (at FLUXX) and having one big open room with a good-sized dance floor and the most advanced lighting and sound system in San Diego by far. There’s not even a close second to the system we’re putting in. We’re really focused on making this a dance club, where you gotta come in and boogie. And if you don’t want to do that, it’s probably not for you.
Read more: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-11-25/nightlife/fluxx-looks-to-up-the-energy-downtown#ixzz0cXSj3ytm
