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South Beach goes gay

Chris Azzopardi

Who needs a Malawian baby? Just grab a gay.

"It's what's hot," said South Beach operator Omar Mitchell before the opening of a queer night – which happen every Sunday – at the new upscale nightclub at 3011 W. Grand Blvd. in the Detroit Fisher Building.
In fact, it gave him all the more reason to tap brave souls who'll juggle fire atop the bar, plus gay/lesbian go-go dancers. Teaming with Strongarm Productions, a Michigan urban party promoter, South Beach's gay night, "The Black Carpet" launches 9 p.m. Sept. 28 with an appearance from Fox 2 News anchor and WJLB personality Charles Pugh and a fashion show from local designer Mark England.
England, who owns a namesake store in Detroit, is also Mitchell's dresser: "He's very into the fashion world; he always gets the hottest things before anyone else," said Mitchell, who often purchases Italian-cut suits from him.
"Red Tie Affair," an HIV prevention outreach team, also will be on hand. Now in its seventh week of business, South Beach, formerly known as Grand City Grille, is owned by Detroit restaurant mogul Frank Taylor and features sexy Southern Florida decor, a bold Detroit flare, three customizable VIP lounges, a full-service kitchen and – woo-hoo! – three bars.
Biz, so far, has been "going very well for us; incredible, actually," Mitchell said. Though typically catering to a younger crowd, according to Strongarm planner Michael Matthews, gay night aims to attract more mature partygoers. "We want to bring in just the feeling of putting on a nice pair of jeans, a really nice shirt and preparing our audience for something new; a more grown-up type of party," said Matthews, adding that the music would be a mix of urban and house/electronic.
Gay night – which boasts a "Smooth-n-Sexy" theme – joins a menagerie of other special evenings, including NFL Mondays and Urban and Latin Nights.
"We can't say we're a Miami lounge if we're not diverse," Mitchell said.

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