So Wanda’s er, Club One er, Legend’s er, Hardware Bar opened on the West Shore today (right?). If you recall, about three months ago I predicted that we’d see a move to less developed areas — namely, the West Shore. The Coliseum is on track to open along St. John’s Church Road, and we’ve got a franchise nightclub open at Wanda’s. And as Bone points out in the nightlife forums, we’ve already got a Fisaga, an ABC (both the bowling lane AND the brewery, though not in the same building), and a McGrath’s is on the way. With downtown still booming and showing no signs of dying off in the immediate future, why the push to the West Shore?

For starters, realize that downtown is not dying. Not even close. While there were some establishments that were, shall we say “ill conceived”, the unstoppable powers of consumer opinion have pretty much wiped them out. But we still see an assortment of lounges, clubs, restaurants, and bars well-stocked with patrons. No, barring bad development decisions, we won’t see downtown fizzle out for a long, long time.

What downtown is is saturated with nightlife. Not completely, but it’s getting close. The launch (and apparent wild success) of Smalls seems to cement what the opening of Prive suggested — downtown needs niche, not kitsch.

Sorry.

Don’t get me wrong — there’s still plenty of room (and urgent, unfilled demand for retail and residential development).  What we need downtown right now is specialty development that caters to smaller, untapped demographics.  For example, Smalls.  But when it comes to the “OMG PARTY BAR” set (please use that phrase as often as possible), downtown has more than its fair share.

Any given spot on the West Shore is a logical jump.  We all know someone from Camp Hill or Mechanicsburg or Enola who absolutely, positively will NOT cross the river under any circumstances.  And we all know that special West Shore someone who flat-out refuses to come downtown because of “the crime” or because it’s “too far”.  Open a West Shore venue, especially with some of the trappings of what downtown has to offer, and you’ve got an underserved customer base lined up at your door.  There are still issues to be overcome, however.  Downtown venues are so overwhelmingly successful in part because of their proximity to each other.  If you park at Wanda’s Hardware Bar, where else can you go?

I think we’ll eventually see stepping stones of development.  A series of venues within a two- or three-minute ride of each other would be a good start.  But the more interesting solution is also the more likely one; a series of clusters of complimentary venues.  Take any given West Shore plaza and drop in Prive, Sparky & Clark’s, Palumbo’s, a G-Man, and a nightclub.  Throw in some easy highway access, anchor with a 24-hour supermarket, add patrons, and watch.

Could it happen?  Will it happen?