2023-10-18 07:00:00
Inside, the armadillo-shaped disco ball awaits.
It gleams above the dance floor, not far from a large metallic sculpture of a cow made from — among other things — handcuffs, padlocks and monkey wrenches, like something that came from an artisanal scrap yard.
An iron statue of a pompadoured cowboy wrangling a bucking bronco looms nearby. Assorted steer skulls adorn the walls above the elevated VIP area.
“Those come from Bali,” Chris Lowden notes of the skulls. “Pretty cool.”
The owner of Stoney’s Rockin’ Country is surveying his newest digs, Stoney’s North Forty in Santa Fe Station, as workers put the finishing touches on the bar and nightclub.
“Got a go-go cage there — and two on the stage,” he says, pointing to spots in the room where the aforementioned features will be located. “That’s where the mechanical bull goes.”
We stroll across the floating dance floor to a 3,000-square-foot patio outside whose dominant feature, a massive, see-through glass fireplace, will be installed later.
There’s a bar built into the back of a small horse trailer and assorted games in the open-air space, which also features louvers that can open and shut depending on the weather.
Back inside, the room is a mix of chic and rustic, polished glass and weathered steel.
“We like to call it Western industrial,” Lowden says of the decor through a salt-and-pepper beard, tattooed forearms poking out of his shirtsleeves.
“We wanted to do something a little bit more upscale, less kitschy than Stoney’s on the Strip,” he adds. “And this is what we came up with.”
‘Not all a bunch of cowboys’
It all began with a phone call whose recollection elicits a chuckle.
A little over a year ago, Santa Fe Station General Manager Brent Arena dropped a line to Lowden, asking him if he’d ever thought regarding opening a club in a casino.
“I said, ‘Are you (expletive) with me? Do you not know?’ ” Lowden recalls with a laugh. “He says, ‘No, know what?’ ”
Some background: Lowden is the son of casino magnate Paul Lowden, whose Archon Corp. has owned the Sahara, Pioneer, Hacienda and other properties, including the Santa Fe Casino, which they opened in 1991 before being bought by Station Casinos in 2000.
What’s more, Chris Lowden had already opened a club at the property, launching the country-themed Revolver there in 2010 before later relinquishing it to the casino’s former management.
“The first time we opened up with Revolver, we were killing it,” Lowden says. “And all of a sudden, (the casino) wanted it. And life became miserable. I’m like, ‘Guys, if you want it that bad, here, take it.’ ”
Still, Lowden always liked the market, which has only grown since.
“There’s 400,000 people out here,” he says. “It was good to us before. Well, it’s gonna really be good to us now because it’s doubled in size.
“We hear a lot that people in this area don’t necessarily want to go down to Stoney’s,” he continues. “It’s a long drive — and nobody wants to make that drive home.”
Now, they don’t have to.
Hoosier State hotel vibes
The visual aesthetic of Stoney’s North Forty was inspired by Indianapolis’ Ironworks Hotel, whose steely, stylish look is indebted to 19th century industrial design. (Lowden used to own a Stoney’s in Evansville, Indiana, and so he visited the state on numerous occasions.)
“I love that hotel,” Lowden says. “I think it’s one of the coolest properties ever. We were just sort of looking at it going, ‘We want to have a place like that.’ ”
Though the 10,000-square-foot Stoney’s North Forty is smaller than the 17,000-square-foot Stoney’s Rockin’ Country, it’ll feature a similar mix of live acts and themed nights aimed at more than just the country crowd, even if that’s the club’s core demographic.
“These people come to dance, and it’s a melting pot. They’re not all a bunch of cowboys,” Lowden says. “It’s just a place where women like to dance. So, we’re trying to do the same thing here. Even in line dancing late at night at Stoney’s, you’re going to hear non-country, because you can still dance to it. And they like it.”
The debut of Stoney’s North Forty is the culmination of a two-year building spree for Lowden, who opened Vic’s Las Vegas jazz supper club in Symphony Park in February.
His newest place will be open nightly, beginning at 4 p.m.
In terms of atmosphere, think of it as an upscale steakhouse where you can also do the “Tush Push.”
“It’s a little bit of a different vibe,” Lowden says. “I think it’s going to be a pretty awesome place.”
Contact Jason Bracelin at [email protected] or 702-383-0476. Follow @jbracelin76 on Instagram.
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