JOPLIN, Mo. —
A building that housed several different bars has been changed to give teens a taste of nightlife.
Vibe, located at 2331 E. Seventh St., offers videogames, a non-alcoholic bar, pool tables, an in-house DJ, current music and a strobe-lit dance floor.
Mikeal Stribling, 17, of Granby, said he was drawn to Vibe by “the girls, the music, and the pool (tables).”
Mike DeInvernois, 36, from Sarcoxie, accompanied Stribling at the pool tables, and was pleased by the positive atmosphere of Vibe.
“It’s a good thing for the kids,” DeInvernois said. “Joplin needs something like this to keep the young kids off the streets and keep them out of trouble. Music, no alcohol, it’s excellent.”
Sam McDonald, general manager, said the club offers Joplin area teens a safe place to go.
“The inspiration was that, basically, the young adults around the area really needed something that represented their fun lifestyles,” McDonald said. “They wanted to get out and meet people. They really want to dance. Otherwise, they were resorting to going to house parties, and drinking in unmonitored environments, creating very negative situations.”
The club is open Fridays and Saturdays from 7 to 11 p.m. for teens 14 to 17 years old, and until 3 a.m. for teens 17 and older, McDonald said. Vibe also houses a large staff that closely monitors activity of older patrons, who are marked with neon wristbands.
A snack-bar features fountain and energy drinks -- use of alcohol is strictly prohibited, McDonald said.
Since its opening on April 9, Vibe had seen an influx of support from area teenagers, as well as local groups such as radio station KSYN-FM, which aided in sponsorship with its live ‘Monster Mix’ on air each Friday from 10 p.m. to midnight directly from Vibe.
Owned by Paul Zimmerman, the building housing Vibe has seen a rich history. In the past, it has been a restaurant and a handful of different clubs, McDonald said.
“It’s been a variety of things over the past thirty or forty years,” said McDonald. “It was a good little handful of nightclubs, Caliente, Fantasia, The Group Lounge.”
But the building has been vacant for about three years, he said.
“We came in,” he said. “We cleaned up the building, made it look snazzy and voila! You’ve got Vibe.”
Lifestyles
New club offers taste of nightlife to teens
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