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Last August, RetroClubNYC opened its doors in Chelsea with a unique proposition: It aimed to cater to a crowd over the age of 35 by bumping throwback tunes from the '70s, '80s and '90s. Now, less than a year after it made its downtown debut, the dance hall that’s all about being geriatric is moving into some new digs.
On Saturday, June 23, the club will unveil a new space at 268 West 44th Street, smack-dab in the middle of the Theater District and next to the tourism extravaganza that is Times Square. The spot is owned by Jeff Wittels, who says he’s been DJing parties and events in and around New York for decades. He says his vintage concept has garnered a substantial following of regulars, and his move to midtown is the next logical step.
“The whole reason I put this place together was the music itself—to bring that old music back,” he said. “After doing it for nine months, that’s the reason why people came to the space. We developed a really big following over the last nine months.”
The new space is larger than RetroClubNYC’s Chelsea digs. It'll have a bigger dance floor, a larger bar and, most of all, will be in a prime location to attract what’s become a major part of the club’s clientele: tourists.
“International tourists were flocking to the club to hear this music,” Wittels says. “We had people from Europe—lots from England. In Times Square, we're going for that tourism boom.”
Wittels, who is the club’s primary DJ, says that people from all over the world are eager to hear the kind of throwback jams that he plays. Of course, if you're a younger fan of older tunes, the bar is still plenty welcoming and is open to anyone older than 21.
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