On paper, it might look like a recipe for failure: Two New York nightclub owners decide to try their luck in Charlotte – by bringing us “a slice of New York nightlife.” After all, New York mentalities and perspectives sometimes don’t play well around here.
However, the owners of the posh new Butter Charlotte on the northern edge of uptown aren’t your average Manhattan nightclub owners. And one of them – 35-year-old Scott Sartiano – is guided by a Carolinas upbringing, having attended high schools in Columbia, Greenville (N.C.) and Hendersonville; his parents live in Kannapolis.
The 8,300-square-foot, bi-level space has hosted private events every weekend since its soft opening last month, and Friday night, Butter opens its oversized, faux cow skin-adorned doors to the masses. It’s another feather in the cap for the N.C. Music Factory, which also boasts concert venue The Uptown Amphitheatre, live-music club The Fillmore Charlotte, and Halo nightclub.
To give you a sense of how big a deal the clubs owned by Sartiano and business partner Richie Akiva in NYC are, become a regular reader of the New York Post online and you’ll eventually see their names on Page Six.
The Yankees celebrated their 2009 World Series win at Sartiano and Akiva’s Chelsea nightclub 1OAK. In December, their Butter restaurant in Lower Manhattan hosted an album release party for R&B crooner Robin Thicke; Jay-Z, Beyoncé and Usher were in attendance. Oh, and Sartiano’s exes include actresses Ashley Olsen and Jamie Lynn-Sigler.
So will our Butter become a regular hangout for celebrities, too? Almost certainly.
Pro Bowler Julius Peppers of the Carolina Panthers has already stopped in. Actor Wilmer Valderrama of “That ’70s Show” intended to celebrate his 30th birthday there last Friday night, but was snowed in in New York. Paris Hilton’s sister, Nicky, will be at Butter Friday night. And Black Eyed Peas reportedly will stop by after their concert at Time Warner Cable Arena Saturday night for an after-party sponsored by Bacardi (rumor has it will.i.am will serve as guest DJ).
“It’s important to have celebrities in a club,” Sartiano says. “That said, I don’t focus my business around them. I focus my business in good service and a great atmosphere, which is what ultimately keeps everyone – whether you’re a celebrity or not – coming back.”
In conversations with Sartiano, it wasn’t entirely clear what type of crowd he and Akiva are hoping to attract. On the one hand, it sounds like they plan to embrace everybody. But he also suggested that certain types of people aren’t welcome.
When asked to elaborate, Sartiano says, carefully: “Richie and I have always prided ourselves in making sure that our venues cater to a wide demographic of people. … That said, people with a great sense of style, fashion and culture create the vibe we want to maintain at Butter.”
How will this very-New York mentality play in Charlotte? Time will tell.
But on a recent Saturday night, Butter’s lower level was packed with happy-looking people – a wide demographic of happy-looking people – from velvet-covered wall to velvet-covered wall.
A sneak peek at Butter CharlotteThe scene: Award-winning club designer François Frossard has put together a space that oozes style, from the velvet flocked wall coverings inside to the Balinese daybeds on the outdoor patio. The lounge-like area upstairs – which guests walk into first – is punctuated by a protruding backlit sphere behind its main bar (pictured here).
A grand staircase leads down to the bigger main room, where most of the dancing takes place. The room’s centerpiece will be a giant chandelier that sends wild light shows bouncing across thousands of crystals; the VIP area (pictured below) is also here.
The music: On a recent Saturday night, NYC DJ Dimitry Mak downstairs wove together a top-notch mix of songs that ranged from Rihanna’s “Disturbia” to Prince’s “Kiss” to a club remix of Guns ‘N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child o’ Mine.” There’s also a DJ booth upstairs, where volume matches the vibe – it’s lower-key, so not as ear-splitting.
The drinks: Domestic beers are $5 each, imports are $6; wine by the glass, $10; liquors run $8-$75; $12 cocktails include a “Butter Martini” made with citrus vodka, orange and pomegranate liquors and pineapple juice. Bottle service is also available.
The servers: Attractive and bubbly twentysomething women in knee-high black leather boots and long-sleeved black mini dresses.
The details: 950 Seaboard St. in The N.C. Music Factory. 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Thursday-Saturday. Cover: $10. 704-295-1565;
www.buttercharlotte.com.
Here’s another blast from the past... The very first ‘X-Factor’ winner (back in 2004): Steve Brookstein has said that he regrets falling out with Simon Cowell.
