{"id":263558,"date":"2024-10-31T00:26:04","date_gmt":"2024-10-31T00:26:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/10\/31\/beloved-hangout-downtown-cocktail-room-to-close\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:10:40","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:10:40","slug":"beloved-hangout-downtown-cocktail-room-to-close","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/10\/31\/beloved-hangout-downtown-cocktail-room-to-close\/","title":{"rendered":"Beloved Hangout Downtown Cocktail Room to Close"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n By Scott Roeben<\/a>, on October 30 2024 <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

A downtown Las Vegas fixture, Downtown Cocktail Room, has announced it will close.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re the only news outlet where you\u2019ll find the inside scoop on this surprising (but not surprising) turn of events, distressing to many downtown denizens.<\/p>\n

Downtown Cocktail Room is expected to shutter in November 2024.<\/p>\n

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Downtown Cocktail Room has been a brick in the wall of Fremont East for nearly 20 years.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Downtown Cocktail Room opened in 2007 near the gateway to the Fremont Street entertainment district before it was a district or entertaining.<\/p>\n

The bar we rarely visited because it was too freaking loud was the brainchild of Michael Cornthwaite, who many credit with being the spark that ignited what the Fremont East entertainment district (it\u2019s mostly bars and restaurants) is today.<\/p>\n

Cornthwaite (who once operated Emergency Arts and The Beat coffeehouse) informed the Tony Hsieh\u2019s vision for downtown, and in time, Hsieh\u2019s Downtown Project acquired the building wherein Downtown Cocktail Room sits. Also in the building are Inspire Nightclub (now closed), Corduroy, the Griffin, Smashed Pig (now closed) and Flippin\u2019 Good Chicken, Burgers, Beer.<\/p>\n

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Anticipate more changes as downtown businesses face the reality of having to be profitable for the first time.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The building was acquired<\/a> by Boston Omaha Asset Management and its co-managing partner, Brendan Keating. The company also owns the nearby Tony @ Carson (formerly the John E. Carson Building).<\/p>\n

This is where things get awkward.<\/p>\n

A lot of downtown businesses owed their existence to a sugar daddy by the name of Tony Hsieh, he of Zappos fame. Hsieh\u2019s Downtown Project was all about building a community, and not every venue would\u2019ve made it without sweetheart deals for rent and other assistance, often done quietly behind the scenes, sometimes scribbled on Post-it Notes.<\/p>\n

What hasn\u2019t been reported is Downtown Cocktail Room\u2019s rent was ridiculously low, based upon sales, a holdover arrangement from the previous ownership.<\/p>\n

The deal has been described as \u201can endless piggy bank,\u201d an arrangement that lasted years because the estate of Tony Hsieh hasn\u2019t been very hands-on with tracking sales volume versus revenue.<\/p>\n

Multiple sources have told us the jig is up, hence the decision to close Downtown Cocktail Room. At a higher rent, margins dry up and reality sinks in.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the Instagram post<\/a> announcing the closure of Downtown Cocktail Room: \u201cThe Downtown sign. It\u2019s been a beacon for those seeking great cocktails and groovy city vibes for almost 18 years, but like all other things in life, eventually it must come to an end. Join us on our short farewell tour. We\u2019d like an opportunity to say our goodbyes! Thanks for the enormous love and support over the years. \u201cHere\u2019s to downtown. We raise our glasses to the early FEW who were the pioneers, and who took risks and believed when no one else did. May you know who you are, and be proud of what we accomplished. Cheers!\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the distraught responses to the announcement included a note from the Plaza\u2019s CEO, Jonathan Jossel, who said, \u201cIf it wasn\u2019t for Downtown Cocktail Room, good chance I wouldn\u2019t have spent the last 17 years in Las Vegas in downtown. Wow. Thanks for the memories.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our fondest memory of Downtown Cocktail Room was finding our way in. No, really. It was a whole thing.<\/p>\n

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