Fortune shines on Chinatown venture
Partners’ throw of dice on venue has paid off nicely
Five years ago, Fortune Sound Club opened its door in Chinatown in the Pender Street location which previously housed the Royal Unicorn. With a state-of-the-art $200,000 Funktion-One sound system and design modelled after clubs in L.A. and New York, the venue quickly became a destination for fans of tothe-moment club jams.
Owners Garret “GMan” Louie and Rob Rizk were no strangers to the scene, both being longtime promoters. But the decision to take the party out of the downtown entertainment district was brash at the time.
“We were one of the first in the area, before Bao Bei, the Keefer bar and the rest and also on the third floor of a building which meant no walk-by business, and a lot of people were telling us to take the licence to the club district,” says Louie. “But Rob and I really wanted to bring the combination of quality music, excellent sound and high-quality events to a place that would become a destination location. Build it and they will come was the plan.”
Today, Chinatown is one of the fastest developing entertainment districts in the Lower Mainland, as yet showing no signs of being destroyed by noise complaints from all the new condo owners who wanted to live in a cool ’hood suddenly deciding the sound of the nightlife was interrupting their exciting Netflix marathons. Business is good.
Last year, the pair and some partners purchased the entire building at 147 East Pender. Shoe retailer Livestock took up residence at street level and the pair are trying to determine what else they would like added to the mix with the “remaining doors on site.” Louie and Rizk also entered into a relationship with Blueprint, the consortium behind clubs such as Celebrities and events like the massive Contact Festival.
“The cool thing about the relationship is we still have full creative control of the club and they are people we’ve had mutual respect for over a very long time,” he says. “Working together to build the scene is better and this secures our vision of solid bookings of quality music a decade down the road.”
Top-tier music and killer parties are certainly part of the successful formula at Fortune Sound Club, and the venue’s anniversary bashes are legendary. Every one has featured some of the city’s finest hip hop and dance DJs as well as surprise guests. The rumour mill hummed over who would appear.
The guests tended to be as eclectic as the music in the room. Year 1, Crystal Waters broke the ice. Year 2, MC Skerrit Bwoy from Major Lazer daggered the stage. Year 3, legendary DJ Jazzy Jeff spun out the night. In 2014, ’90s hitmaker Robin S. wowed the crowd with Show Me Love.
“We feel it’s been pretty good so far and we’ve been able to build something pretty perfect in our dream location,” says Louie. “I won’t lie that it’s been like a lifetime in terms of work, and we want to keep aiming for yet another game-changing idea in the space. Having a celebration with new and old friends, family and bringing out someone special makes it worthwhile and makes it all tick.”
This year the special guest was announced. Known to do a bit of reality TV and on the comeback trail, multiple Grammy-nominee Sisqo entertains anniversary party faithful. The DJ lineup is Flipout, Cherchez, Rico Uno, Trizzy Mane, Genie, Sincerely Hana, Marlon J. English and Lechvnce.