The streets of downtown Tucson were desolate.
It was a Saturday night and everything stood still in the apparently uninhabited city center. But just off of Stone Avenue, one individual sitting on a stool occasionally moved around. He was as out of place in the empty streets as the lounge he was working the door for.
The doorman stood on the periphery of Centro Lounge, a new, trendy spot that opened on Oct. 10. Far behind him, the lounge’s name was projected onto a towering brick building that provided the large font plenty of room to cartwheel around.
Centro Lounge felt different. Clubs and lounges are few and far between in Tucson. And Centro Lounge appeared to want to surpass what the city offers by striving for chic modernity.
Just past the entrance doors, an open-air hallway of about 60 feet, lighted by shin-high, candlelit lamps, leads to the lounge’s patio. The massive walls that run up to the night sky dwarf the black high-top tables in the patio, but the strung up lights that criss-cross just above the patrons’ heads create a sense of confinement.
The darkness from outside still dominates the ambiance inside. In the center of the room are orange boxy chairs and couches – the pinnacle of modern furniture. Against one wall are miniature tables positioned between a chair and a booth cushion. And in case you forget where you are, Centro’s name dots the interior walls and the patio enough that you won’t forget the coolness that engulfs you.
But the lounge wasn’t without its contradictions: a sleek staff and environment versus the complications of being open for only one week – there were only two beers on tap and low quantities of a few other drinks – and the idea of an ultra-hip lounge versus a lounge that doesn’t have a cover and apparently doesn’t have a dress code either – a guy wearing an Arizona State University football jersey wandered around inside.
Centro may eventually find its footing; it does have the potential to be a trendy downtown location. But until then, like the doorman said, Centro’s going to try and run on word of mouth.
