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Nightclub or art gallery? How one club owner intends to shake up Charlotte nightlife with Bazal

Editor’s note: Bazal Gallery and Nightclub is on track to officially announce its opening date soon. Keep your eye on this space for details.

When I first came across Bazal Gallery and Nightclub, I was equal parts intrigued and confused. I was on QC Social Lounge’s website, browsing through all of the V.I.P. experiences Charlotte’s current catalog of nightclubs has to offer. With my birthday coming up, I was craving for a reason to spend it in Charlotte (and so was my wallet).

Just as I was on the verge of giving up, I found my reason. There, on QC Social Lounge’s homepage, was a link to the new nightclub coming soon to the AvidXchange Music Factory. After I did a bit of digging for details, I was sold.

It was once home to the iconic Charlotte nightlife venue known as Butter.

Then, after Butter closed, it became ClubONE.

Now, 950 North Carolina Music Factory Blvd., belongs to Bazal, a scene that’s poised to become one of Charlotte’s most elevated nightlife destinations to date.

One address, two themes

“It was born out of something unique, something was missing,” the club’s owner, Noi Vong, told CharlotteFive. “The idea came when I realized there was nothing that I know of that can offer the best of both worlds.”

The idea Vong mentions refers to the ambitious concept, one that is wholly unique to the Charlotte nightlife scene. Bazal, (pronounced like “Bah-zil”) is a two-story establishment that houses a bright and modern art gallery on the top floor and a dark, alluring nightclub on the bottom floor.

Two worlds with the same level of contrast as “heaven and hell,” Vong said.

Owning nightclubs was ‘never a part of the plan’

Vong, who also owns QC Social Lounge in Uptown, met us at the doors of Bazal one day last week with a kind smile and a firm handshake. Gentle, hospitable and host to a contagious laugh that follows almost every sentence, he certainly isn’t the kind of person you’d expect to own a nightclub.

In fact, owning nightclubs was never something he dreamed of doing.

“It was never a part of the plan. I grew up in a restaurant family,” Vong said. “How nightlife became, now, my life … it was completely by accident.”

Noi Vong is the owner of Bazal, a new art gallery and nightclub coming to Charlotte located where popular venues like Butter and ClubONE used to be.
Noi Vong is the owner of Bazal, a new art gallery and nightclub coming to Charlotte located where popular venues like Butter and ClubONE used to be.

Vong was thrown into the Charlotte nightlife scene circa 2007, when he became involved with the defunct club formerly known as “RE:PUBLIC.” His experience with RE:PUBLIC inspired him to try running a nightclub himself.

“I quickly realized there were so many things wrong with it, with the operations and how things were being done, the people that came. It became a challenge for me to make (nightlife) better,” Vong said.

Thus, Vong set out to shake up the nightlife scene in Charlotte by opening QC Social Lounge, and he vowed to run it honestly.

No shady back rooms at this club

That’s his goal with Bazal, too. In a perfect world, nightclubs are free of shady backroom dealings and are run a little more like a “Fortune” 500 company with systems in place, Vong said.

Still, just like a career in nightlife, Bazal wasn’t even something Vong envisioned until he toured the venue.

“I wasn’t looking to do (Bazal). It wasn’t until the space became available that it really piqued my interest,” Vong explained. “I didn’t have any designs in place, I just really went with it and built it out as we went along. It’s kind of an art piece in itself.”

And that it is.

The gallery level bar at Bazal will feature a drinks menu that differs greatly from the nightclub’s bar offerings.
The gallery level bar at Bazal will feature a drinks menu that differs greatly from the nightclub’s bar offerings.

The walls upstairs are adorned with original art pieces from both local artists and artists from abroad. Every inch of the place is covered with gold finishes or white marble. The furniture is tasteful and the drinks menu features top-shelf liquor, elegant craft cocktails and unique spirits from around the world.

When asked about the rest of the drinks menu, Vong put our minds at ease by explaining that patrons will still be able to order their vodka Red Bulls and shots of tequila in the nightclub downstairs.

The colliding of the two very different scenes is a concept so unheard of that I couldn’t help but ask where it came from. Vong said the concept was born from necessity.

“As more and more people are moving here from other markets that are well traveled and well cultured, there’s nothing we have to offer them,” Vong said. “God knows we have enough breweries, right?”

Amen.

Owner Noi Vong hopes to host a variety of local and global DJ’s at Bazal’s nightclub. The elevated DJ booth features a V.I.P. section on both the left and ride side of it.
Owner Noi Vong hopes to host a variety of local and global DJ’s at Bazal’s nightclub. The elevated DJ booth features a V.I.P. section on both the left and ride side of it.

V.I.P. clubs, without the plane ticket

“It would be great to do something super cool that could put Charlotte on the map in terms of nightlife destinations,” he said. “Something that could be classy and upscale and have a true V.I.P. experience without having to go to Vegas or New York.”

And he’s right. Without establishments like Bazal, Charlotte’s nightlife lacks venues that are tasteful, sophisticated and truly special. Most nightclubs in the area feature sticky floors and a crowd that has not yet outgrown its Fireball phase.

It’s the reason I often find myself jetting off to New York City on the weekends instead of hanging around in Charlotte. Up until now, there was no bar or club that could compete with the nightlife venues I frequent up north.

When I told Noi about my habit of running back to the homeland to avoid sipping beer at breweries on the weekends, he laughed. But he also understood.

“From my banker friends to the influencers, even the celebrities and athletes that are local, they say that exact same thing: Well, since Butter, there really isn’t a reason for us to be here,” Vong said.

When asked about the crowd he hopes to attract with Bazal, Vong answered quickly.

“I imagine seeing people that are like you. Traveled,” he said. “People that are seeking an elevated experience and those who have never experienced that before.”

Then, I asked Noi what it is about Bazal that will keep people coming back for more, and this time he took a long pause to think carefully about his response. Finally, he answered: “The vibe.”

Patrons of Bazal can wander through both areas of the venue as desired. The upper level gallery offers a more elegant and intimate setting for visitors.
Patrons of Bazal can wander through both areas of the venue as desired. The upper level gallery offers a more elegant and intimate setting for visitors.