Clubland

The Village Brewery quietly surrendered to the lounge fad earlier this month when it was absorbed by the Orchid Lounge next door. Jim Florence, owner of both establishments, decided that the more successful of his two ventures at this point needed room to expand. So he transformed the Brewery space into a supper club for the Orchid. Florence will still be brewing beer on-site, but he'll be doing so in a classic speakeasy-type setting, with swing and tango bands on hand.

When you get right down it, the expansion makes sense. The Brewery was often half-empty on nights when the Orchid was packed to the rafters, and there was very little exchange of patronage between the two. Now, all that's left is for Florence to cross his fingers and hope swing remains king.