You’re welcome, really
BOULEVARD3, the new venture from former Skybar impresario Peter Famulari, is designed to make people feel at home, literally. “When I came to California I felt like the only thing I really liked were these house parties in these incredible homes,” Famulari says. “So in large part this was an hommage to that, to say it’s really a house, ostensibly.”
The spacious, elegant venue, housed at the former Hollywood Athletic Club alongside Social Hollywood, has the feel of an English manor, with an inviting library that occasionally doubles as a lounge during the week, a gorgeous garden with cabanas aligned on both sides (and a massive fire pit in the center) and a ballroom featuring a 1,500-square-foot dance floor. Couches sit railside a few steps above the dance floor.
Famulari envisions his new venture as a “counter-club,” an antithesis to the increasingly hype-driven L.A. nightlife scene. For instance, Boulevard3 charges no cover, regardless of night. “Some people don’t have the kind of money to drop on that, and I didn’t want it to feel like a separatist experience,” he says.
Sanam Hakim, a frequent clubgoer hanging at one of the cabanas on a recent Friday night, was making her second visit to Boulevard3. “It’s an awesome venue,” she says. “It’s chill to get in, and not a lot of hype.”
However, the club scene isn’t a simple world these days, not with the infusion of technology and corporate entities. And given the scope of the venture, Boulevard3 is clearly competing with the big boys of L.A. nightlife. And so far, so good -- the venue opened with Justin Timberlake’s launch of his William Rast clothing line last October and will play host to Grammy- and Oscar-related parties in February. To do that, Famulari had to give in to what he called a “necessary evil,” the demand of people willing to spend more for a higher end of service and exclusivity.
On club nights during the club’s early months, the upstairs balcony had been largely empty, save for a few VIPs and friends getting a tour. But that will change next month when the balcony gets an official unveiling. There, prospective buyers, whom Famulari hopes will invest in some yet-to-be-determined type of ownership, will be given a preview of the seating areas, all of which include plasma TVs, a mini-bar, Xbox, a computer and more.
“The ultimate goal will be to make it a self-sustaining room,” Famulari says, “to create a seating situation not dissimilar to the boxes at Staples.”
Even Famulari confesses he has no idea how the upstairs area will take shape or affect the present vibe, which currently does reflect his vision of a counter-club.
ON a recent bone-chilling Friday night, turnout might be lower than normal, but those who do come out take the cold to heart. Outside, late in the evening, bundled-up revelers converge on the large fire pit at the center of the garden to make s’mores.
As midnight approaches, the celebrators on the dance floor gather in a circle to watch a “fire dancer” entertain the throngs, with those assembled in the library coming over to watch. After a brief performance, the woman walks up to Famulari and quips, “Was that hot or what?”
It’s another part of Famulari’s vision. “Interwoven in that [club] experience are these theatrical happenings. I call them random acts of theatricality,” he says. “We’ve had an opera singer, stilt walker, unicycle 16 feet in the air. The idea is those theatrical experiences bond people together. The idea about the bar experience, in my mind, is you want to connect with someone. I would like to help enable people to do that ‘cause it’s not an easy thing for me, and I don’t think it’s necessarily easy for everyone. If I can give people a little bit of a shove and make that happen, I’ve given them what I’ve wanted to give them.”
Hakim isn’t shy. But one of the first things she mentions in talking about why she’s back for a second visit is one of those extra touches. “I like the inside a lot, they play really good music, and they dumped confetti,” she says of her first visit.
Since opening officially two months ago, Boulevard3 has taken a low-key approach, without what Famulari calls “overt promoting.” Still, a recent Saturday drew 1,400 people over the course of the night, prompting some to be turned away.
How do they charge no cover and maintain that semblance of being a “counter-club” when the inevitable buzz hits?
“There will be an overwhelming response at some point that will supersede our capacity,” Famulari concedes. “Then we’re going to get into that thing, which is really challenging in the bar business: ‘Who do I let in? Who’s going to get a reservation?’ What we try to do is be as fair about that as possible. It’s a good problem to have and an impossible problem to solve.”
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Boulevard3
Where: 6523 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood
When: Open seven nights a week
Price: No cover; reservations suggested through website or phone
Info: (323) 466-2144; www.boulevard3.com