When The Twisted Element first opened its doors on November 12th, 2004 nobody could have foreseen the impact they would have on Calgary’s club scene and gay community, and the changes they themselves would undergo in two years. Since that first chilly November night, Twisted Element has created a versatile staging setup, added a shower and go-go cage around the dance floor, and created the Twisted Lounge out of the previously unused space in the basement of the building. Even owners Cliff and RJ are surprised at how much things have changed but, it all fits into their primary focus – giving back to Calgary’s gay community.
“When we were putting our business plan together, we didn’t give much thought to spending money in two years on developing the basement. This was a product we thought could fly. We had to expand because we have long line ups and we were hoping to reduce those. We didn’t think that on Saturday nights from day one we would be running at capacity,” Cliff told GayCalgary.com.
”Having line ups outside of a gay club is a new thing in Calgary, it’s never [been a regular occurrence] before. There are nay-sayers that say we pay people to stand in line. The fact is that for the past two and a half years, capacity laws have been implemented and are there for a reason. We have capacity levels we have to adhere to, so unfortunately when we are full, we are full. That is why we expanded the basement so we can get more people inside.”
While it has remained popular, there are those who are not fans of Twisted Element, many who have not even set foot inside its doors. From being dubbed a “twink bar” to being accused of maliciously forcing other bars to close their doors, some people’s perception of the club is not positive. RJ and Cliff take the criticism and rumors in stride.
”A lot of people thought we went into the bar business to put other people out of business and make money. It wasn’t about that. When we sold Chicken Hawks restaurant we looked at a bar as a possibility. When we would go out to the clubs we found the issue that a lot of people found, that the scene sucked. Our idea behind opening a club was to bring the community together and get them back out and enjoying themselves. We had to make money but it wasn’t our priority - it was more about everyone going out and having fun,” said Cliff. “Because we rocked the boat a bit, a lot of the older members of the community didn’t like that. I didn’t think we would have this much of an impact on the community. Did I think the other clubs would go out of business? It wasn’t even a consideration we just wanted to give an alternative space to the community. We didn’t put the competition out of business; they did it to themselves five years ago when they didn’t change anything up. People were not patronizing those clubs anymore. That is why we opened a bar, to get people out more.”
The biggest change in the club was the opening of The Twisted Lounge in the basement in the spring of 2006. It’s a space where patrons can relax and get away from the high energy dance floor upstairs when they want to.
”The Twisted Lounge came about from wanting to attract an older crowd that wants to sit and socialize, and listen to the piano. The average age group upstairs is about thirty, but the lower level gives our older customers somewhere to go,” said RJ. “We wanted two distinctive looking spaces. If you didn’t want the high-energy dance you could come downstairs and relax and not have the music cranked.”
Now the competition comes not so much from other gay bars as from different options in Calgary’s bar scene. While some have stated that gay people can feel more comfortable in straight bars, each weekend people still flock to Twisted.
”We wanted to create a fabulous space where people can be proud to go out on a Saturday night and bring their straight friends. We know we can compete on the same level as a straight club,” said RJ. Cliff added “We are definitely competing on the same level as many straight nightclubs because we want to provide a better-quality product. In turn what happens is that some of the gay guys [will] bring in their straight friends because they are proud of this space. It’s designed for the gay community and they’ve accepted us.”
Another way of reinventing themselves comes in the form of Twisted’s famous parties. Themes like Club 54, The White Party and New Years Eve have given patrons the chance to have fun in a different environment. Expect their 2nd Anniversary Party on November 11th to be another must-attend event.
”The club will be decorated to the tits with a birthday party type atmosphere. Everyone is going to get something. There will be all sorts of door presents and giveaways, to thank our customers who I like to consider my friends. My number one priority is always to ensure my customers are happy, safe and secure,” said RJ.
“We are always working to improve the club. We have to mix it up because our clientele is so regular that we work at making it different for them and not being stale, [while still attracting] new customers. You can come here and then, a month later, see a whole group of new faces. We have a lot of guys who are questioning themselves but feel very comfortable here. We get married couples that want to meet a third. It’s a comfortable environment with opens doors.”
Expect many more anniversary parties for The Twisted Element. If the past two years have been any indication, RJ and Cliff plan to always take feedback from their customers and evolve to provide the best possible place for Calgary’s gay community. According to Cliff, the coming years continue to look bright.
”We are looking at securing the future of Twisted Element. We have a vision to ensure we are going to be around in the future. We aren’t in this just for the quick money right now, we want to be around forever.”
The Twisted Element
1006 11th Ave SW
(403) 802-0230
www.twistedelement.ca
