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New club hopes to bring 'big city' entertainment to Garden City
Published 8/28/2010 in Business
By DEREK THOMPSON
Jesse Vargas wanted to bring something different to Garden City. In July, the longtime disc jockey officially opened Party Central, 607 N. Eighth St., a private club that he hopes will become a fresh entertainment option in the city.
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Laurie Sisk/Telegram Owner Jesse Vargas stands at a mixer in the DJ booth at Party Central.
Opening an entertainment bar has been a goal of Vargas', who has been a DJ in Garden City for the past 17 years in venues such as The Grain Bin. Having provided musical entertainment for most of his life, he felt it was time to branch out and see how he could do on his own, he said.
"Even though it's a little small, I want people to not have a bad seat in the house," Vargas said.
A projector and 10 to 15 TVs line the walls of the 125-capacity club, and sports fans can enjoy the games in Vargas' lounge furniture or from University of Kansas or Kansas State University-themed seating decks, which he has built himself.
"I really want to cater to Sunday football and college football (fans)," Vargas said. "I want this place to be a place where people can come in and either start their night off, or hopefully I'm doing enough entertainment that they'll stick around."
The club offers entertainment options such as karaoke, game show trivia, pool and a live DJ each weekend. Vargas said he's hoping to bring "a big city feel to a small town," and he hopes to do that with theme nights once a month, such as luau nights, casino nights or a Halloween party in October.
"That's what I'm going for is the theme parties. Nobody does that in town, and that's the experience like no other."
Though he eventually wanted to make the club private, he was forced to do so at opening due to licensing requirements.
"When you get a liquor license, you have to sell 30 percent food. I don't have a kitchen, so I'm not ready for that route yet," Vargas said.
Party Central offers two membership levels: a basic for $20 and VIP platinum for $50. The basic membership includes one year entry to the club, three guests allowed each visit and a 10 percent discount off the Party Zone rental hall. A spouse card may be purchased for an additional $10. The VIP platinum membership includes direct access to the front of the line, free reservations to the VIP decks, and no cover charge during most events, among other benefits.
Next door to Party Central is Party Zone, Vargas' adjoining rental hall. Vargas opened the hall in the summer of 2009, and it provides a venue for birthday parties, bachelorette parties and a variety of other occasions, he said.
Party Central has been well received by its members and guests, he said.
"So far so good. People walk in and their like 'Wow, this is nothing like we expected,'" Vargas said.
Party Central is open from 5 p.m. to close Mondays through Thursdays, from 4 p.m. to close Saturdays and from noon to close Sundays. For more information on Party Central, call 290-2125.
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