Saving Downtown L.A.
213 Inc. Brings Peace and Playfulness to a Struggling Scene

The 213 Inc. nightlife company began in 2001 with the hope of revitalizing an alternately dead and dangerous downtown Los Angeles. While many would have viewed nightlife venues as a risky idea in such a downtrodden area, this group knew that socializing was the ticket to new life and productive patronage.
    During the days when the first loft living was established in the area, 213 President Cedd Moses saw the need for after-dark activity, and he utilized his past experience, which included opening and operating 4100 Bar, Liquid Kitty and C Bar, to help make his future vision a reality.
    In July of 2004 Moses and his staff opened the Golden Gopher, followed by Broadway Bar in July of 2005 and finally Seven Grand in the spring of this year.
    “213 is not simply a collection of trend-setting nightspots but an entire approach to the city’s history and future –– a way of expanding the aesthetic and social possibilities of downtown,” Moses says.
    With mission to be more in the city, this Los Angeles nightlife company has helped to revitalize the downtown area in such great measures that the city has raised a symbolic glass in the form of multiple accolades, and the general public is applauding in the form of repeat business.

The Golden Gopher
    Holding the oldest liquor license in the city of Los Angeles, the space that houses the Golden Gopher was known as the Golden Sun prior to Prohibition. Great things come with age, and for 213, the space held a diamond up its sleeve.
    The liquor license was established in 1905, and it allows the bar to sell bottles of liquor for off-premise consumption in addition to beverages in a glass. With the benefits of bar sales combined with the benefits of a retail package store, the Golden Gopher has, according to Moses, “the golden liquor license.”
    The increased avenues for take-away profits were pretty much the only initial benefit to the space, however.
    “When we bought it,” says Moses, “it was easier to buy drugs than to buy a drink. The rent on the space hadn’t been paid in a year.
    “We put about a half a million dollars into remodeling it, and we went back to original brick walls,” he says. “We tore out part of the roof to create a patio inside, since the neighborhood was so sketchy, and we were concerned about the safety of our patrons smoking outside. We went for an urban elegance overall –– a raw feel with brick, balanced with chandeliers.”
    The space offers patrons entertainment in the form of old-school video games and a Rock ‘n’ Roll vibe. The Golden Gopher’s revitalization improved the area’s reputation dramatically and led Moses and the group to the next project, within walking distance.

The Broadway Bar
    One year later to the month, 213 opened the Broadway Bar. The venue focused on paying homage to “The Godfather” film and Jack Dempsey’s closed bar of the same name in New York. The space is glam/gothic ostentatious-ness without the pretentious attitude that too many times follows that type of design. A 50-foot circular bar allows for the Los Angeles-perfected pastime of people watching, and the carpet, wallpaper and upholstery all scream Versace.
    The feel is completely different from the Golden Gopher, but it still attracts some of the same patronage, being in walking distance of the more dive-vibe space. “Broadway Bar has been more popular with girls than with guys being right next to the fashion district,” Moses says.
Broadway Bar also brought refreshment to L.A. in other ways as well.
“We don’t have a guest list or rope or tables for sale in any of our venues,” says Project Manager Leann Rupprecht. “We refuse to force people to spend money to have a mediocre time.”

Seven Grand
    With the wild success of both venues, this year the team decided to bring a little Southern hospitality to the West Coast.
    In May, the doors to the anticipated Seven Grand opened, and patrons were wowed with towering neon casting a glow on 120 bottles of whiskey and bourbon. The space previously housed Brock’s Jewelry Emporium, and the jewelry cases were all converted to showcase spirit bottles. Taxidermy also played a vital part in the ambiance with the walls displaying a plethora of elk, deer and jack-a-lope heads.         With a nod to the literary imbibers of old like James Joyce, the club has a library feel complete with shelves of bottles accessible via a rolling library ladder.“
    At Seven Grand, bourbon has been a man’s drink,” says Vice President of Operations Sharon Rivas. “We are trying to find a distributor to do a women’s once-a-month introduction to make bourbon and whiskey less intimidating for women. We are finding a lot of women are loving the wheated bourbon –– Maker’s Mark is a great example — and a lot of Irish whiskey.”