Welcome to the Bedroom

Fresno joins ranks with New York and San Francisco with its own "bedroom" club

By Allison Bethurem

There is a tiny ray of light in the streets of downtown Fresno.

The streets are empty, the shops are boarded up and the buildings are pitch black.

In the midst of this deserted ghost city, the thump of distant music can be heard.

There are conversations and laughter floating mystically through the air, while pulsating lights can be seen from a distance.

Are the ghosts of Fresno having one last soiree?

On Saturday night at The Bedroom, the latest addition to Fresno’s nightlife scene, there were no ghosts present.

Although the bedroom theme is common in big city clubs, the opening marks a first for Fresno.

“This is an event that goes on in major cities like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco,” said Ricky Lopez, The Bedroom’s promoter. “I just thought, why not bring it to downtown Fresno, if we need to build the downtown area up, why not start with the nightlife?”

The Bedroom, which opened last week, is located in the Star Palace. Once inside the club, a red-carpeted stairway glowing with red lighting leads upstairs to an entryway.

Black and white checkered floors and framed photos of classic movie stars from Clark Gable to Jean Harlow fill the walls and bring out the character of the old building and stir them with new age music and people.

The Bedroom is a theme, just like a pajama party or costume party.

Although there are sexual connotations attached with the bedroom theme, the sensual undertones end there.

The Bedroom is broken up into seven different rooms, each with its own theme. The furniture in each bedroom is different and gives a different feel, creating a lounge-like atmosphere.

One set was deep cherry wood, one was black and silver and one was white metal.

The seven bedrooms set up along the walls make for a safe haven which friends can gather around to converse and drink.

Each room is set up like a real bedroom. It has a nightstand, a desk with a mirror, a dresser and scented candles.

“The beds make it a really nice environment,” said Christina Bauman, who heard about the club on the radio. “Its relaxing and fun at the same time.”

Although the club owners had a tight budget to work with, the club looks and feels like an episode of Sex and the City where the four city girls went to their own bedroom club in New York.

“We only had $2,500 to work with,” Lopez said. “Most of the furniture is from Rent-A-Center, and the rest of the money went towards security, insurance, lighting and the bar.”

The entire room was split in half for dancers and drinkers.

Those 21 and over could enjoy the bar atmosphere and lounge on the three beds provided in the surrounding area.

They have access to a full bar with drinks ranging from $6 to $10 and beer from $3 to $5, said bartender Michael Kneudsen.

“We want to bring all Fresno State students out here to enjoy the fun,” said Kneudsen said, an advertising major at Fresno state.

Although people under 21 are still admitted into the club, they are restricted to certain areas. A red plastic gate-like fence stretches across the room to separate the age groups.

Bouncers line the fence to make sure only drinking-age people were in the bar area.

Those over 21 were allowed into both areas, but those underage can’t get within 6 feet of alcohol.

Martina Koczor was trying to speak with her underage roommates by the partition when the group was forced by security guards to disperse.

“The border line feels like The Berlin Wall,” Koczor said, an exchange student from Germany. “It kinda destroys the atmosphere.”

But the 18-and-over crowd that came out to the club seemed to have just as much fun as the 21 and over crowd.

The dance floor takes up about half of the club, and is framed with more bedrooms and exotic lighting. Two white princess bed canopies hang on the front edge of the floor and drape over a platform.

Occasionally, dancers migrate into the canopies for a spotlight dance, but the majority of the time, the canopies remained empty.

The Bedroom houses a diverse crowd, even bringing in a newlywed couple,still in their bridal gown and tuxedo, to come celebrate their marriage.

“We met at a reception held at the Star Palace,” Josie Martinez said. “My husband also works here, so we thought what better way to celebrate than go to the new club in the same place we met.”

With plans to rejuvenate downtown Fresno in the making, Fresno State Alumnus Jeremy Dobbins, the general manager of the Star Palace, feels he belongs here and plans to stay in the area.

“Fresno has a lot of opportunity that no one has capitalized on yet,” Dobbins said. “So, yeah, this is the place that I want to be.”

The bedroom will be open for the next eight weeks, then may be changed to another theme. Doors open at 10 p.m. Saturday nights and admission is $10. For more information on the club, call (559) 264-6863.