Tomorrow marks opening of O-Bar below Copabanana
by Byron Kho
The Summer Pennsylvanian
June 17, 2004
It has barely been nine months since campus hangout Copabanana opened its doors, yet now there is another reason for students to flock to the popular locale.
This Friday night, the O-Bar will be having its grand opening in the basement of Copabanana.
"O-Bar is part of Copa, [but] it's a different kind of lounge," Copabanana's owner Brian Phillips said. "It will draw the unique subculture on campus that listens to that type of music."
That type of music, specifically, is underground dance music, for which O-Bar owner Nigel Richards is world-renowned. Richards is a long-time veteran of the Philadelphia dance music scene, having been not only a disc jockey and producer, but also the owner of 611 Records, a well-known underground dance label and South Street record shop.
The O-Bar will feature DJs culled from 611 Records, as well as friends and guest DJs from around the world. Richards "will bring in different types of DJs with different types of music," Phillips said.
On Fridays, Richards plans to feature house music artists Philly Housing Project. "I want to give people on campus some place to relax and have a drink after a long week, with cool music," he said.
Richards himself plans to spin, but "I'll sometimes be celebrity guest bartender. I want to meet and greet. I'm a people person."
When it opens, the O-Bar will offer a dance floor and lounge space for 100 people, as well as a large bar area. Alongside upscale appetizers, O-Bar promises to offer its signature O drinks.
"They'll be made with exotic ingredients like pomegranate juice and coconut and served in our signature [curvy] glass," Richards said.
According to Phillips, the idea for the O-Bar started when Richards "happened to be [at Copabanana] and we brought him downstairs. He said, 'wouldn't it be wonderful if I brought in a DJ?'"
Copabanana was "looking to do something new with the basement," Richards said. "I was interested in getting into the bar business, and West Philly was a good place to start."
As of this week, O-Bar will only be open on weekends, but Richards said that they will open one more day every week. "Eventually it will be open seven days a week," he added.
Many students seem intrigued with O-Bar's arrival on campus.
"It's always cool to have more places to go," College junior Jessica Neiterman said. "This bar has its own thing. I don't want all the places to be the same."
Linked via theletterobar.com