Opening in the location of the old Gatsby’s nightclub, The Dragonfly aims to be a classy and fun hangout.
The Dragonfly is scheduled to open this May as an upscale club with a safer environment, open dance floor and entirely refurbished interior.
Bobby Grabowski, owner of Cedar Lane, said he got the idea for The Dragonfly when he noticed a lack of diversity on Northgate. He said he hopes with a different atmosphere, Northgate can have more visitors.
“Maybe some retail would be able to come in and so we would have traffic during the day and traffic at night,” Grabowski said. “I’m just scared that Northgate, over time will become 6th Street [in Austin]. One, we don’t need any more bars down here. It’s just not safe anymore.”
According to Grabowski, The Dragonfly will have the best sound system on Northgate. The club will also offer brand new seating, a completely renovated building and brand new bathrooms.
“I think just something to make that college experience just really stand out,” Grabowski said. “Sometimes you just want to feel fancy, … and [The Dragonfly is] somewhere you can go to do that. Where you can have an event, you know, black tie event at a bar.”
Robert Forest is the owner of a neighboring business, Sarge’s Military Surplus, and Grabowski’s landlord at Cedar Lane. Forest came to College Station in 1974 and has been in business for 41 years. He said a lot has changed during that time.
“Things have really changed a lot. When I came here … there was a dry cleaners [where the Dragonfly is now] … there was a place that made corps uniforms on the other side of the barber shop,” Forest said. “Really, a lot of things were corps related when I came down here … there was no alcohol.”
According to Forest, a bar like The Dragonfly will change the Northgate experience with its classy atmosphere.
“I know Bobby did that with Cedar Lane, they built quite a bit of a different kind of atmosphere than existed anywhere else in Northgate,” Forest said. “I know there’s a lot of copycats, I guess you’d call it, in Northgate. … We need something a little different.”
The Dragonfly will also offer signature drinks only available at their location. One drink, the peach confetti, will be served in the club’s new 10 oz signature glasses.
“One [signature drink] we created ourselves with help from a bar owner in Vegas and that’s the peach confetti,” Grabowski said. “The peach confetti is probably the best drink I’ve ever had in my entire life.”
Mayra Millan, Class of 2017, said she enjoys going to bars in College Station but would also like a venue that provides a more upscale dining menu.
“When I go out, I usually like to go and dance, it’s usually like my favorite thing to do,” Millan said. “But also I like the professional menu … I love [saying,] ‘Oh, I’ve never heard of this drink before.’”
Milan said Northgate could improve my opening business that attract a variety of different crowds.
“We do have different styles of bars,” Millan said. “When you think of a place like O’Bannon’s, that’s like a beer place. You go there and you drink beer. … But if you go somewhere like Bart’s Pub, that’s more of a dancing place. … There’s a different scene at each place.”