A group of ladies sits hunched over a table in the back of the Theatre Bar in downtown Grand Haven. But instead of sipping drinks or enjoying intense conversation, they are…getting manicures?
Every Tuesday is ladies’ night at the Theatre, with fantastic specials on fabulous martinis. But the bar adds something special the first Tuesday of the month. Women get a martini and a 15-minute manicure for $10.00. Owner Steve Loftis began the special promotion last spring after a trip to Chicago, where he saw a local bar offering martinis and a massage.
“As you travel, you see different things,” he said. “We have had a lot of fun with different promotions, and we thought, ‘Let’s try something new.’”
The special night “went off like wildfire,” says Mike Coleman, general manager of the Theatre Bar and its sister restaurants Dee-Lite and the Grand Seafood and Oyster Bar.
An Unexpected Hotspot
The Theatre is typically busy on ladies night, but even more so for Martinis and a Manicure, according to Coleman. “We fill up at about 5:15, and stay that way all night," he says. "All the ladies drink martinis. It’s the same ladies most of the time, and they always bring friends.”
Manicures are available from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Ladies can sign up for an “appointment” time and happily sip their martinis while they wait their turn. Two-by-two, they go back for their 15 to 20 minutes of pampering, and then return to their tables, friends, and drinks.
Ladies who opt out of the manicure can take advantage of the bar’s drink specials: $3.00 martinis from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m., $4.00 martinis from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. and $5.00 martinis after 7:00 p.m. Patrons can choose from the bar’s extensive menu of martinis, which ranges in concoctions that fit any taste. From dry martinis to fruity mixtures to even a chocolate martini, everything is on there, and it can be hard to choose.
Manicurists Joy Fielding and Jessica Feister, from Be Medical Spa & Salon in Grand Haven, have done the manicures at the Theatre Bar since the event began. Both say they rarely have a free minute during the night, and the evening is always fun.
“We didn’t think we would have this much fun when we first started,” says Fielding, adding that many of the women they see are regulars, and that some have even started coming to Be for regular services.
Becoming a Year-Round Destination
On this particular night, the first two manicures of the night were for Marci Barton of Grand Haven and Dee Vander Jagt of Ferrysburg, two gals new to Martinis and a Manicure.
“You can’t go wrong with $10 manicures,” Barton says.
“There’s never been something offered like this before,” Vander Jagt says. “It’s just so cool to have a ladies’ night out, something relaxing, especially during the holiday season.”
Would they return to for future martinis and manicures?
“Definitely,” Barton says.
The event also attracts a good mix of regulars, such as Grand Haven resident Kathleen Poel, who usually brings one of her sisters or a friend to enjoy the martinis and manicures. Poel is a little disappointed that the Theatre Bar isn’t offering the promotion every Tuesday in the winter (the event runs weekly in the warm summer months) but she still visits her favorite hot spot.
“I would still like to have manicures every Tuesday,” she says. “It’s a good thing to do in the middle of the week.”
In addition to Tuesday Ladies’ Night, the Theatre Bar offers many other special events, including an open mic session every Monday night, a bloody mary bar on Sundays, and live music five to six nights a week.
Owner Steve Loftis says the Theatre Bar and its sister restaurants also offer tasting nights for specialty liquors such as vodka, tequila, and bourbon and serve special foods to complement the liquors.
The events help to keep downtown Grand Haven busy during the winter, typically the off-season for a beach community, says Loftis, who also chairs the Grand Haven Main Street Downtown Development Authority.
“We used to go through months where you could roll a bowling ball down main street and not hit a soul,” he says “But Grand Haven has really broadened its shoulders over the years. We’ve seen it grow, and that really takes the pressure off the heavy summer season.”
Knowing there is always something to do year around definitely keeps people coming downtown and the Theatre Bar is a prime destination.
“This is a great bar," says Kathleen Poel. “It’s always busy. And whenever I come, it just grows more and more. I’ll never stop coming back.”
Photos:
Martinis...50% of a great evening (photo by Kathleen Kelly)
The martini fish on the exterior of the Theater Bar - Grand Haven
Theater Bar
Manicure and Martini's...(courtesy photo)
Photographs by Brian Kelly - All Rights Reserved