No Vacancy Lounge

No Vacancy Lounge (NVL) was a short-lived nightclub in Portland, Oregon's Old Town Chinatown neighborhood, in the United States. "No Vacancy" began in 2014 as a party hosted at various local venues. NVL opened in a former McCormick & Schmick's restaurant December 2017, following an approximately $1 million renovation. The venue was named Willamette Week's 2018 Bar of the Year. The club hosted a variety of acts and events but was most known for electronic dance music (EDM). Conflict between NVL, a neighboring tenant, and the property manager began almost immediately. In February 2019, the bar closed as the result of the dispute and financial difficulties; some scheduled events were moved to other venues.

No Vacancy Lounge
Logo
Entrance to the venue, 2019
No Vacancy Lounge
Location within Portland, Oregon
Address235 SW 1st Avenue
LocationPortland, Oregon, U.S.
Coordinates45.5206°N 122.6722°W / 45.5206; -122.6722
Owner
  • Nitin Khanna
  • Rick Sheinin
  • Billy Vinton
  • Jessey Zepeda
Type
Capacity350
Opened2017 (2017)
ClosedFebruary 19, 2019

Description and history

Prior to the nightclub's opening, No Vacancy was a party held at the FOMO Media offices in northwest Portland, beginning in 2014. The party's success allowed co-founders Rick Sheinin (who worked at FOMO Media at the time) and Billy Vinton, along with partners Nitin Khanna and Jessey Zepeda, to host No Vacancy at other venues, including Doug Fir Lounge, Holocene, and Produce Row.[1] Lake Oswego Review's Sam Stites described the four men as "innovators" seeking to "raise the bar in Portland nightlife".[2]

Sheinin, Vinton, and partners opened No Vacancy Lounge (NVL) in December 2017, in the ground floor of the Henry Failing Building, in downtown Portland's Old Town Chinatown neighborhood.[1] The building was previously occupied by a McCormick & Schmick's restaurant. According to the Portland Mercury, the owners "oversaw a dramatic redesign of the wood-paneled restaurant into a modern 350-person-capacity nightclub that attracted top talent [and] drew large crowds",[3] at a cost of approximately $1 million.[4] The interior featured "elegantly designed" Art Deco details and high tech production equipment.[2][5] Writing for Willamette Week, Matthew Korfhage said: "The mezzanined space [looked] like Jay-Z's vision of the Great Gatsby, an amber-lit world of deco lamps, columned archways and backlit liquor that climbs to the ceiling", with "a massive amount of programmable lights, a dramatically lit second-story DJ booth and smoke machines both inside and outside the DJ area".[6]

Two weeks after opening, property owners attempted to terminate NVL's lease because of noise complaints made by the upstairs tenant, the architecture firm Walker Macy.[7] Conflict between NVL, Melvin Mark Properties, and Walker Macy continued for as long as the nightclub operated.[3][7] In February 2019, the club confirmed plans to close as the result of financial difficulties and the ongoing dispute.[3][7] The co-owners have said No Vacancy "might return to its original state as a pop-up party series".[4]

Events

NVL hosted a variety of acts and events. Performers included hip-hop disc jockey and producer DJ Nu-Mark,[8] house music DJ Donald Glaude,[9] the electronic music duos Dusky and Eli & Fur,[10][11] Le Youth,[12] BlackGummy,[13] Zach Carothers of Portugal. The Man,[14] and Canadian EDM DJ Shaun Frank.[15] A-Trak and RJD2 performed as part of the bar's first anniversary celebration.[10]

Special events included the "Pan-African Gala" commemorating Black History Month, which saw Ndaba Mandela pay tribute to his grandfather Nelson Mandela,[16] a "420 Celebration" with "electro soul-funk" music,[17] and a gay pride event featuring local EDM DJs called "Møthership: Planet LGBTQA".[18] NVL also hosted a 1990s music dance party and a "celebration of life" for Vinton's father, Will Vinton.[19][20] In 2018, the venue hosted the sixteenth annual Bollywood Halloween dance party,[21][22] a concert featuring local hip-hop artists,[23][24] and a Gatsby-themed New Year's Eve celebration.[25] In 2019, NVL held "Love Sucks: An Emo Valentine's Day", a Valentine's Day dance event featuring "pop, punk, alternative, and emo classics".[26] For their final event in the Henry Failing Building, NVL hosted a free party on February 19, 2019.[3][7] NVL planned to host events scheduled prior to their closure announcement at other venues.[3]

Reception

NVL was named Willamette Week's 2018 Portland Bar of the Year based on a survey focusing on new establishments.[27] The newspaper said the venue "strikes a careful balance between timeless glamor and a futuristic Technicolor utopia",[27] and called NVL "the most ambitious DJ-forward dance club Portland's seen in years".[6][7] Willamette Week writers also suggested the interior was reminiscent of The Great Gatsby.[5][6] Sam Stites of the Lake Oswego Review said the venue opened "to rave reviews and a consistently packed house", and "[filled] a nightlife void".[2] Stites called NVL "a fresh take on the tired nightclub motif" and wrote, "Step inside No Vacancy Lounge and you might feel as if you've gone back in time and traveled to the future all at once."[2] Jenna Swanberg of Dance Music Northwest said NVL's closure was "devastating for us to hear, as the venue did everything right for their attendees and were selling out weekend after weekend". She wrote:

No Vacancy Lounge always had great energy, bringing in some of the biggest names in house music, providing music lovers, bar jumpers, or dance enthusiasts a safe place to spend their night... So thank you No Vacancy Lounge for bringing something different to Portland. Thank you for bringing a new energy to a city. Thank you for the unforgettable nights spent on the dance floor. We hope the energy continues to the next big idea.[28]

References
  1. Cottell, Pete (May 22, 2018). "No Vacancy Lounge Is the Most Ambitious Club Experience the Rose City Has Seen in Years". Willamette Week. City of Roses Newspapers. Archived from the original on February 20, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  2. Stites, Sam (April 12, 2018). "No Vacancy fills a nightlife void". Lake Oswego Review. Pamplin Media Group. ISSN 0889-2369. OCLC 13819679. Archived from the original on April 6, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  3. Lannamann, Ned (February 14, 2019). "Downtown Nightclub No Vacancy Lounge Announces Closure Due to Conflict with Property Management Company Melvin Mark". Portland Mercury. Index Publishing. Archived from the original on February 20, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  4. Frane, Alex. "Downtown Club and Cocktail Bar No Vacancy Is Shutting Down Next Week". Eater Portland. Vox Media. Archived from the original on February 20, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  5. "The Top Five Places to Drink This Week". Willamette Week. January 17, 2018. Archived from the original on April 8, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  6. Korfhage, Matthew (January 24, 2018). "No Vacancy Is the Most Ambitious DJ-Forward Dance Club Portland Has Seen in Years". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  7. Singer, Matthew (February 18, 2019). "No Vacancy, WW's 2018 Bar of the Year, Will Close Permanently This Week Following Legal Dispute with Its Landlord". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on February 19, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  8. "The 33 Best Things to Do in Portland This Weekend: Jun 1–3". Portland Mercury. May 31, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  9. "Donald Glaude". Portland Mercury. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  10. Hunt, Ryan (October 10, 2018). "Fall 2018 Pacific Northwest Event Guide". Dance Music Northwest. Archived from the original on April 8, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  11. "Eli & Fur". Portland Mercury. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  12. Swanbergon, Jenna (July 13, 2018). "Le Youth is Heading to One of Our Favorite Portland Venues, No Vacancy Lounge". Dance Music Northwest. Archived from the original on April 8, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  13. Claringbold, C. J. (September 11, 2018). "Events Calendar Sept. 11–17". Daily Vanguard. Portland State University. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  14. "A Ramen and Whisky Festival, Laura Gibson and 9 Other Things to Do and See in Portland Oct. 31–Nov. 5". Willamette Week. October 30, 2018. Archived from the original on April 6, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  15. Hunton, Ryan (December 3, 2018). "Louis the Child Take Over Portland with Three Shows in Two Days (DMNW Review)". Dance Music Northwest. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  16. "Pan-African Gala: Mandela's Legacy". Portland Mercury. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  17. Singer, Matthew (April 17, 2018). "A Guide to 420 Events in Portland". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on April 8, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  18. "Møthership: Planet LGBTQA". Portland Mercury. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  19. "'90s Dance Party". Portland Mercury. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  20. Rogoway, Mike (October 4, 2018). "Will Vinton, Oscar winner and pioneering Portland animator, dies at age 70". The Oregonian. Advance Publications. ISSN 8750-1317. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  21. "Haunted Houses and Spooky Dance Parties to Plan Your Halloween Around". Willamette Week. October 23, 2018. Archived from the original on April 6, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  22. "The 38 Best Things to Do in Portland This Weekend: Oct 26–28". Portland Mercury. October 25, 2018. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  23. Moore, Jenni (December 21, 2018). "EOY Hip-Hop Happenings: Six Local Shows Worth Stepping Out For". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  24. "The 22 Best Things to Do in Portland This Weekend: Dec 28–30". Portland Mercury. December 27, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  25. Swanbergon, Jenna (December 23, 2018). "What to Do on New Years Eve in the Northwest". Dance Music Northwest. Archived from the original on April 6, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  26. "The 13 Best Things to Do This Valentine's Day!". Portland Mercury. February 11, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  27. "A Survey of the Things WW Has Officially Declared "The Best" in the Past Year". Willamette Week. July 10, 2018. Archived from the original on April 8, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
  28. Swanbergon, Jenna (March 8, 2019). "Portland's No Vacancy Lounge Closes Its Doors For Good". Dance Music Northwest. Archived from the original on April 8, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
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