Trendsetting club SIX closes in Scottsdale

Economy and loss of luster contributed to closure

Megan Finnerty

Metromix

SIX Lounge, the Old Town Scottsdale club primarily responsible for ushering in the city's golden era of ultra lounges, upscale dress codes and designer bottled water, has closed.

The reason, according to an April 29 notice posted on the club's door, was failure to pay rent on the space at 7316 E. Stetson Drive.

Owner Randy Smith said Wednesday that he was given five days to settle the debt in late April but that landlord Gladstone Gregg locked him out after three days. Gregg, who also owns the Latin nightclub Club Tropicana in Scottsdale, could not be reached for comment.

Revolutionary club: SIX opened in 2001 as Scottsdale's most exclusive destination. Waitresses day-jobbed as models, and the clear-glass bathroom doors automatically “fogged” when locked.

Tastemaking magazines InStyle and Elle wrote about the club as a sleek, modern destination for vacationing celebs. It was one of the first local clubs to host fashion shows, now de rigueur, and generated buzz with an annual winter party that converted Stetson Drive into a white wonderland with faux falling snow.

“The plan was to close down for a time in the summer and do a remodel and get some new energy in there,” Smith said. “We wanted to reintroduce SIX in the fall. … We wanted to make as much of a statement in 2009 that we had in 2001, and that's a pretty high bar that we'd set for ourselves.”

Scottsdale's Margaret Merritt, owner of the Agency Arizona modeling agency, hosted several birthday parties there, as well as numerous agency events.

“(Smith) brought the classy lounge scene to the Valley, and he did it right,” Merritt said. “He was always just very gracious and welcoming.”

“It's unfortunate that such a strong nightlife brand has ended,” said Scottsdale nightlife promoter Jon Gluck, who once worked with the club. “When it opened, it was one of the few places that was catering to that discerning clientele. And now you see other places like the W (Scottsdale Hotel & Residences) and the Mondrian (Scottsdale) who are doing that too, but SIX paved that road.”

Losing its luster: The recession is closing clubs and restaurants across the Valley. But lean economic times were not SIX's only problem. The club had lost its luster in recent years.

Steve McDonald was a managing partner at SIX with Smith and has since moved on to work on other nightlife projects. He said it's unfortunate that the business has failed. SIX was so revolutionary that guests at first used to ask where the dance floor was, McDonald said.

“SIX was a staple in Scottsdale and launched so many other bars. But I don't think that it stayed ahead of the curve. I don't think it was maintained, and I think people recognize that and kind of quit going back,” he said.

There was no winter bash in 2007, and a few weeks later, SIX didn't book A-list parties for the 2008 Super Bowl when it was in the Valley.

This February, when Phoenix hosted the NBA All-Star Weekend, SIX didn't host any celeb-studded parties, missing out on both occasions to the Barcelona nightclub, Hotel Valley Ho, the Mondrian Scottsdale and the W Scottsdale, all of which have opened in the past few years.

Smith said he would like to thank the people of Scottsdale for their patronage and support and that he looks forward to offering the city another “first-class” experience shortly.

“I don't believe you're only as good as your last drink, your last promotion. It's all about what you do from here,” he said. “That's all anybody's going to care about.”

Smith also owns the nearby nightclub and breakfast spot Mickey's Hangover. That business remains open.