A new nightclub in Midtown will open its doors for the first time tonight.
Envy replaced Club XS, which closed Feb. 29 and underwent construction during Spring Break. Workers had 13 days to transform the bar in time for its grand opening.
Owners Rob Zeller and Mike Akey said they spent about $40,000 transforming the club.
“XS was more of a ’90s and 2000s club,” Zeller said. “It was outdated and needed a change.”
Prices for drinks and admission will remain the same.
The owners hired an interior designer to order the new bars, create a new color scheme and find an artist to decorate the walls.
The wooden bars were replaced with two custom bars. The front bar is faux marble, and the main bar is textured silver with white marbling.
The entrance area has a green mural on the main wall and lighting that ripples on the walls, giving the illusion that the room is underwater.
The green swirl continues on the wall opposite the main bar. The wall behind the main bar was replaced with black marble, with $200 tea lights over the top of the silver bar.
A wall lined with lighting that fades into different colors surrounds the VIP area. The sound system and bathrooms were also updated. Zeller said that the bar’s transformation is about 80 percent finished.
“We did a lot in 13 days, but we couldn’t get everything done,” he said.
Zeller and Akey plan to add new tables and upholstery to the VIP area, update the DJ booth and add a private bar in the VIP area.
Rick Rosenbluth, general manager for Envy and Gator City, said the new club has a more sophisticated feel.
“A lot of people say Midtown isn’t a place for a nightclub,” Rosenbluth said. “But Midtown can be whatever you want it to be. Why not dance?”
A new signature drink will be introduced at the club’s opening. The Emerald Night is a mixture of rum, amaretto, pineapple, Sprite and Blue Caraco.
Linda Riedemann, a 25-year-old UF graduate, said she has been a bartender at XS for four years and is ready for a change.
“It doesn’t look like a dive bar anymore,” she said. “They actually put thought into decor and the atmosphere instead of throwing it all together.”
Envy, a new nightclub in Club XS’s previous location, will open for the first time tonight.
