by Gary Simpson
Things have been moving and shaking over at The Balcony Club. It has been six months since the club changed hands, and Emre Houser took charge of making the club the best it can be.
The Balcony has been a part of our community for over 18 years, and was voted Boise Weekly’s “Best Gay Bar” for 10 years running, and “Best Dance Club” for seven years now.
According to Houser, taking over the club was a big challenge. As a straight man, he was highly concerned with the community’s reaction to his acquisition of the venue. But, these fears were quickly dispelled. Despite his initial lack of knowledge of the industry, Houser has proven several times over, that he is able to rise to the challenge.
“The first couple of months I spent trying to ramp up my knowledge as much as possible.” He said. “ We’ve gotten past that point, but still a bunch of learning to do on my part. We are now at the point of changing and improving things. Some have been visible to our patrons, and others are behind the scenes kind of changes. All of them, however, have been made to improve the employee and customer experiences, with an eye on raising the bar and making The Balcony the best place to be.”
A few of the improvements to the bar have already taken place, including refinishing the dance floor, fresh paint, and a newly installed sound system. Houser also reports that he and the staff took to the difficult challenge of cleaning up the ceiling , as well.
“We had dust bunnies EVERYWHERE. It was difficult to see at night, but very embarrassing during the day,” he added.
As for the newly installed sound system, Houser reports the sound as “phenomenal – loud, but crystal clear.”
Houser also made note of the calendar they’ve installed in their facility. Located right at the entry of the bar, he hopes to keep patrons informed of local events, and provide he and his staff a medium to communicate with everyone. He also provides a space on this wall to allow for customers to provide feedback as well.
“We want to hear the good, bad and ugly,” Houser added.
The club boasts four rotating DJs every week to help keep the music fresh, and bring different styles to the club.
The most recent project, which should begin to take shape, is freshening up the outdoor tables. Houser hopes thee improvements will improve the overall experience from anyone who stops in.
As for future improvements, Houser says they’re taking things one step at a time. After the tables, The Balcony expects to upgrade their lighting systems, and possibly add some laser lighting.
Making improvements to the club aren’t the only thing he plans to do either. The Balcony currently is offering up an all-Idaho lineup of beers on tap, and has changed up some of their liquors.
“I am not a beer drinker myself, but we have a hard ginger ale and a hard root beer that I just can’t stop raving about!! They are really good!” Houser added.
In addition, they have brought back some popular beverage options that have been missing from The Balcony for some time.
With the changes he’s made around the club, and the plans he has for the future, Houser has had one big thing in mind. Many of his patrons have come to him asking him to make The Balcony a gay bar again. He recently took to Facebook to find a definitive answer to his question, and while he wasn’t able to find an exact answer about what makes a bar, a “gay bar,” he is more determined than ever to ensure the club stays recognized as a gay nightclub.
Much of the feedback he has received has been geared toward more events, more themed parties, and more entertainment.
“We’re talking with some out of town talent and bringing them to The Balcony,” Houser said. “We have to balance this with the fact that we are a nightclub and want to stay true to that, so it is a little bit of a balancing act.”
The Balcony currently has plans to bring in a few guest DJs in the months to come, including a few well-known names, something Houser is quite excited about.
The biggest challenge Houser says he’s come across is getting everything done. “It takes a lot of work to run this place,” he said.
The hard work and dedication has begun to pay off, he added. “People have been awesome! My staff has been awesome, and the customers have been great. Everyone has been great. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to associate myself with!”
While Houser has high hopes for the future, he says he is always open for feedback from the community. “I sometimes feel like I might be dropping the ball and I hope nobody takes it personally. Please keep coming back at me if I have dropped the ball. I promise to be fair and honest with everyone.”
OutBoise News 