Partee’s Lounge in Topeka gives a sneak peek ahead of its soft opening

After nearly a year of preparation, this lounge is ready to offer a new place for nightlife in Topeka.

Partee’s Lounge, 1414 SW 16th St., owned by Topeka-born hip-hop and R&B artist T-Rell Terry, is hosting a soft opening Saturday. The lounge will officially open after the grand opening in two weeks, Terry said.

Partee’s Lounge is named after the singer’s former manager and lifelong friend, Chris Partee, who was killed in a car crash on Interstate 35 in Carter County, Oklahoma in 2014.

The new lounge consists of five lounge areas, a bar, a live DJ booth, more than 10 TV screens and a small stage.

Rules and strict security are enforced at Partee’s Lounge

Terry posted his rules on his Facebook page earlier this month. Among them were the following rules:

No weapons.
No weapons.
No sharp objects.
No vapes.
Do not smoke.
Clothing items such as white t-shirts, sportswear, large handbags, backpacks, boots/UGG boots, work clothes.

The message stated: “Men must be at least 25 years of age and women must be at least 21 years of age with valid ID to enter as management reserves all rights to enter.”

With over 200 responses and 300 reactions to the post, a discussion arose about the club’s rules.

Terry told The Capital-Journal that safety is important and that is how he wants people to present themselves within his institution.

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“Safety is important to me because if you don’t have a safe environment, we’re going to close down,” Terry said. “So I actually hired security from out of town that no one here knows. They don’t play nice and they’re really big guys. They’ve been doing it for years. Some of them are armed, some of them are unarmed, and I just want people to feel safe.

“I don’t allow the white T-shirts; I don’t allow the Ugg boots. I want people to dress up, be stylish, and have fun. So I want people to just come here and dress up. This stuff costs a lot of money to make, so I want you to feel good when you come here.

“It’s more of a fancy place. It’s a lounge, not a club.”

Lounge and club culture function in the same way in larger cities

Instead of an open dance floor with a DJ booth and an open bar, the way black lounges and clubs market their nightlife venues in major cities with an audience that wants to go out has changed in recent years.

This means you will pay higher prices for sections or reserved tables, which are usually reserved with a minimum bottle purchase for groups of up to 15 people.

Partee’s Lounge charges $20 for general admission, $350 for a smaller section, and $500 for the larger section, which seats 12-15 people. These sections must be booked through Terry’s management team.

Terry said it’s time for Topeka residents to embrace that concept and adapt.

“We have to move with the times,” he said. “We can’t stay old-fashioned. I’ve traveled all over the United States. I’ve lived in Atlanta for two years. I’ve been to Dallas and Houston. This is the culture now. Sections, partying with your friends.

“It also reduces violence and things like that, because you’re celebrating within your people. Topeka just needs to catch up. It’s good for Topeka.”

Terry said there’s nothing wrong with culture shock.

“You want people to adapt,” he said. “Like now, when you go out of town, you already know how to behave. We need to lift our city up. We’re not really lifting our city up.”

What are the opening hours of Partee’s Lounge in Topeka?

The soft opening on Saturday is from 20:00 to 02:00. After the official opening in two weeks, the opening hours will be from Thursday to Saturday from 17:00 to 02:00 and on Sunday from 17:00 to midnight.

Terry said his age limit rule will be enforced on Fridays and Saturdays, while Thursdays and Sundays will be for people 30 and older. Terry is considering opening the lounge to Washburn University students on Wednesdays.

Food will be sold in the lounge for the soft opening night, along with drinks from the bar. The accompanying restaurant is still under construction. Terry still plans to introduce chicken and fish dinners with different sides and a variety of wing flavors.

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Keishera Lately is the business reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. You can reach her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @Lately_KT.