New venue brings taste of club life to 18+ crowd
>>Print ViewPublication Date: 10/26/2007
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A new downtown social venue will allow minors and those of legal drinking age to interact in a nightclub environment.
"I love downtown - It's a beautiful place - but I want somewhere classy to go to. There isn't anything here (in Lafayette)," said owner Mink Lin, who took initiative to create the nightlife she has always wanted and also runs Lafayette restaurant Bea One.
The Muse will offer entertainment, including an energy-drink bar, juice bar, lounge, karaoke, fine foods, a hookah lounge and live music with disc jockeys within its 7,000 square-foot domain. Those with proper ID can get drinks at the 36-foot bar.
"If you come to our venue, our entertainment is here, but you're not peer pressured to drink," Lin said. "People deserve the right to listen to music if they want to, dance if they want to, have fun if they want to."
Despite a movable wall and security-regulated wristbands that will segregate the minors from those of age, some are worried about the accessibility of alcohol to people under 21.
"I think it's a precursor to 18-year-olds going to the bars, just perpetuating that mindset of going to bars when you can be at home being productive or otherwise," said Liz Willis, a senior in the College of Liberal Arts.
"I think there are other ways we can be entertained without a club environment."
Others see The Muse as being a fresh new option that is legally feasible.
"I've never done anything like that," said Sang Lee, a freshman in the College of Engineering. "Just think about a bunch of people getting together and not doing homework or anything. As long as they get (security) under control and ID people, they'll be fine."
The Muse is expected to host its sneak preview 9 p.m. today at 323 Columbia St., Lafayette. Tickets may be picked up at Bea One. CityBus' Nightrider will extend its service to the venue and give rides back to campus.
After the event, however, the venue will only be open for group reservations and charity-related events. The Muse can be rented out for musical performances, art and social gatherings, comedy shows and more, she said.
"It's a chameleon," Lin said. "We can make the place look however (the customer) wants it to. If they want the walls to change color, we can do that."
Lin plans to open it to the general public in the future.