After eight years of late night revelry, iconic Dallas dance spot Beauty Bar is packing it in. The retro-inspired club will close with a bang this weekend, moving out of its charmingly dingy digs on North Henderson Ave. to start a new life in Deep Ellum this spring. The original location neighboring Barcadia and Houndstooth Coffee will be torn down and replaced with condos.
Beauty Bar will reopen within weeks on Main Street in between Crowdus and Malcolm X, near Curtain Club, Stirr, and Harlowe MXM. The new location will be much larger: a fresh, glitter-covered slate with two rooms and a brand-new sound system.
It’s not easy for a nightclub to exist for nearly a decade and continue to bring in crowds, but Beauty Bar always had a special vibe and good music. Dallas DJs like Blake Ward, Redeye, Sober, Christy Ray, Junk Food, Trillwave, and Colly T have frequented its decks, building energy and enforcing the glowing “No Requests” sign.
It pretty much kickstarted the career of the now-ubiquitous Ward, who’s had his Saturday night “Glamorama” residency there since 2010.
“Beauty Bar Henderson wasn’t just a DJ gig for me, it was the opportunity that launched my entire life in Dallas,” says Ward. “I met half my friends on the dance floor, saw people grow up and find their tribe, and watched friends fall in love and get married. Most importantly, I got to play the music I wanted to play. In an era where every dance spot is pressed to play the same Top 40 playlist, the crowd stuck with me when I got weird, and we tore the walls off the place every weekend.”
Chatting with Ward this morning, I can’t help but think of my own experiences with Beauty Bar. It was the first place I ever came close to regular-ing in Dallas, somewhere I knew I could go and, as cheesy as it sounds, leave it all on the dance floor. I remember more than one person telling me “it’s kind of a weird crowd,” and I don’t disagree. That’s what makes it fun. I don’t want to go somewhere that discriminates at the door.
It’s bittersweet to see Beauty Bar moving to Deep Ellum, but I hope that it has a positive effect on the neighborhood. With Clutch and Concrete Cowboy rumored to be moving in, it’s going to need it.
This week, say goodbye to Beauty Bar on Henderson at the last editions of its weekly parties: Trillwave Tuesday, What About Wednesday, Faded Deejays on Thursday, Body Up! on Friday, and The Last Dance: Glamorama on Saturday.
