teen club logistics

[chad6er]

About a month ago I got an idea that it might be a good business to start a teen club in my hometown. As far as entertainment goes there is very little to do. So, for the past month I have been working very hard at trying to put a plan together for this club. So far I have the ability to start a club. But the question remains, should I?
The town is Huntington, Indiana. Population 17,000. 3,000 kids in the range of 15-24 (give or take).
I have mentioned to many people about this club and they all say "Wow, that would be cool." But my question is... Will this work as a business?
Is this the kind of town to start a club in? I havent included the "out of towners" that might also drive in. How can I predict the number of teens that will come to this club?

Someone suggested that I might make a building two/three story and make each story a different theme. Make the upper a teen hangout, the bottom a bar, something like that. So far the only bars in this town are looser hangouts (not terrible, but definitely not upper crust). It was suggested that I make a more refined bar for all the other people. Is this something I should consider? I'm really not prepared for alcohol sales.

Thanks for the help. I sure can use some advice.:)

[David]

My Two Cents

Do not mix adult entertainment in the same building as teen entertainment. You are only asking for trouble.

As for your idea on a Teen Venue, go for it. Check out some of the other threads on the site that ask and answer some of the questions that will eventually come to mind.

[David]

OK, I might get my A$$ kicked by Shaun but here's his website. He has a very successful Teen Club in my market. Please don't email him with all of your questions. He will join the site in the next week or so. I'm only posting his address so that you can see what a well run and successful Teen Club can do. I also posted one that is in another town in my state that is also very successful. As you will see, it's a lot of hard work and organization.

www.eleven11.net

www.jaysupstairs.com

[chad6er]

Thanks for the info David. I browsed the other posts and found that many of these clubs are opening in areas with populations of 80k and 135k. Would a pop. of 17k sustain a club? How can I predict profits since there are no other clubs in the area?

[Music Man]

How close are you to Ft Wayne?
And is there any competition there?
Do you have a physical location in mind?
What capacity are you looking for?
How much do you have to invest in buildout and equipment?

[chad6er]

Fort Wayne is about 18 miles North East. There are two clubs in fort wayne, Subterranean (http://www.subterraneanclub.com/) and Neptune (http://www.neptunedanceclub.com). I havent been to either one but I am told by those who have gone that they cater to 18-24 yr olds and do things like wet t-shirt contests and such. I planned on checking them out when the time comes.

I was thinking about doing more of a teen hangout than a club, although a club would certainly be involved. I am torn by all of the "possibilities". So far I think I would have pool, dancing, some arcade type games, contests, big tv's, a kind of a social lounge, of course food and specialty (non-alcoholic) drinks, stuff like that. Thats also why I was toying with the idea of a mixed crowd so that I could attract more than just the teens. However, I do realize different age groups go to places for different reasons.

I did have a location in mind but they want $5 per sq/ft lease. That seems high and a bit unreasonable (is it?). The other location I had in mind was the northern part of town where they built a new theater and have nearby lots for sale. The area really is a perfect location, but then I would have to build a building and I'm not sure about doing that without knowing the business will take off. I guess I could always sell the building if it didn't but I dont know.

I really dont know what kind of capacity to expect. Thats my biggest problem. How do I predict that? I figured I would estimate turnout then I would slightly reduce the number of patrons allowed at a time. That would give the impression of a booming place. (Where EVERYONE wants to be). Then I would decide how much space I would need. (I read somewhere that you need about 2 sq/ft per standing person.) If I were to make a totally uneducated guess I would say somewhere around 200(?).

I'm trying to do my homework before I start this business but I'm not sure about what I'm doing. There is the possibility that I am out of my league, but I wont know until I try.

Thank you for all your input.

Chad