Good news, clubland folks. Miami's former eclectic hot spot the Pawn Shop has announced a definitive opening date for an upgraded West Palm Beach locale. It's all going down on March 6. Back in November, we reported that the former downtown Miami dance club and celebrity haunt was reopening and making a move (huge yellow school bus et al.) to 219 Clematis St. -- occupying the previous site of Dr. Feelgoods. Although at the time Pawn Shop's operating partner, Paul Brown, told us he expected to have the club open by February, it seems a couple of weeks' delay will be worth the wait.
Besides the celebrated school bus and the old Pan Am fuselage that decorated the interior of the former Pawn Shop site, West Palm Beach's version will include new additions -- including a life-sized vintage Ferris wheel from the 1950s, a DJ booth designed out of a Mack truck, and a 1950s Rambler fitted for the VIP section.
Brown teamed up with South Florida nightlife visionary Cleve Mash for this project, so we're not surprised by the eye-popping nature of the design elements of the new venue. In our past interview with Brown, he told us the Clematis Street location was going to be more like Pawn Shop on steroids. And considering the nightclub checks in at 9,000 square feet and features an impressive 175 feet of total bar space (that's a lot of booze if you ask us) 26-foot-high ceilings, and a new, state-of-the-art sound sound system and light show, by the sounds of it, seems Brown and company really knocked it out of the park with this project.
The front bar will open around 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and will feature a glass-top bar with Pawn Shop merch and trinkets for sale. The rest of the Pawn Shop will open at 9 p.m. and stay open until 3 a.m. on weekdays, 4 a.m. on weekends.
For the opening weekend itself, matters begin on Thursday, March 6, with Miami-via-New York resident house DJ Ani Phearce behind the decks. There will be no cover for the opening night. Friday, March 7, features veteran DJ Radamas, and Saturday, you can hear progressive electro house whiz Bruno Robles. They're charging a cover of $10 after 11 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday.
Here's a little preview of the Pawn Shop goodness to come.
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