SoHo's young owner gets it right

(Credit: Metromix)

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It's hard to imagine Daniel Gray, the ambitious 27-year-old owner of the new, much buzzed-about SoHo Mixed Media Bar in Chinatown, growing up on a dusty old plantation camp on Kaua'i. And it's hard to imagine the seedy lounge formerly known as Mall Cafe, with its dingy decor, troublesome clientele and dubious odors, as a chic, cultured night spot that can simultaneously function as an art galley and a concert venue. But for both the club and its young owner, something inspiring has come of humble origins.

In April, Downtown residents and business owners, tired of the club at the end of Pauahi Street being a magnet for drugs and violence, circulated a petition to prevent the Mall Café from renewing its liquor license. Seeing potential in the unpopular spot, Gray, former general manager of Loft Gallery and Lounge, moved fast and offered to buy Mall Café, effectively transferring its liquor license to him and his business partner, Joy Yamazaki.

How does a guy who's not even 30 yet, who graduated from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa as an English major and claims he's an artist, not a businessman, have the energy, resources, and discipline to delve into the risky world of nightclub ownership, when most people his age are out at night just to drink and have a good time? For one, he started young, and has worked jobs in construction, as well as nightlife. His experience has won him valuable connections.

"I have a pretty solid network," Gray said. "Once I started telling people I was opening my own place, it spread like wildfire."
With the support of the surrounding community and financial help from two investors, the charismatic Gray took over, paid the back taxes (about $15,000), gutted the place, and began renovations that he expects will be finished by mid-August.

"When Daniel told me he was going to open a spot Downtown, I went and checked it out with him," said "Vegas" Mike Licata, a longtime promoter who now runs Acid Wash every Wednesday at SoHo. "Geographically it's great, with Hawai'i Theatre and (Brasserie) Du Vin and the other places around. I like it a lot; I think it's the new spot Downtown."

Even before its insanely packed First Friday opening last month, SoHo was generating an incredible amount of buzz among clubgoers and nightlife industry folks. Gray and Yamazaki got the word out using Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, and so far, the club seems destined to be a hit.

"People were looking for something new in Chinatown... It was getting stale," Gray said.

Gray is already booking Mainland acts for concerts for part of the building that can hold about 600 people and will be unveiled next month.

He's not too worried about working through a tough economy. "People still go out and party if you give them a reason to," he said. "I don't expect the next year or two to be easy, but after that, if the economy improves even a little bit, I'll be doing all right."

Gray said his inspiration for the name of the club was the SoHo (South of Houston Street) district in New York, known for its blend of art, music and culture.

"We plan to have art shows, fashion shows, full theatrical productions, concerts, social mixing events, screenings, etc.," he said. "And because anything east of Nu'uanu is considered the South Hotel area, I could use the same play on words. Also, what happened in SoHo, New York, is remarkably similar to what's happening in Chinatown right now — a renaissance."