An
age old Central Asian custom, smoking hookah, is on the rise in Lawrence. The
late night scene made way in May for the city's second hookah bar, the Nargile
Lounge, in the Hillcrest Shopping Center on Ninth Street and Iowa Street. "I
wanted to open a real Turkish Hookah bar, to show Turkish hospitality and to
give people a taste of real Turkish coffee," said Ertan Aydinol, the proprietor
of the Nargile Lounge.
Aydinol
said he spared no effort creating the environment and spent more than $120,000.
The deep red walls are adorned with
traditional Turkish tapestries and plates, all handmade. Each piece of the
décor is at least 65 years old with the oldest piece a 190-year-old wedding
chest.
Aside from the imported décor, Aydinol and
some employees built all the low, wooden seating and tables themselves. They
mounted a high-definition projector and screen in the front of the store to
play movies and show sporting events. For the back, they bought an HDTV,
complete with next-generation gaming consoles. "Where is one place you can come
to relax, and play Rock Band, or watch a movie, or TV?," Aydinol said, "There
is no place."
Aydinol
said that the Lawrence smoking regulations have been a major problem for his
operation. The city requires him to have an air filtration system that can move
60 cubic feet of air per person inside. Aydinol said his store has a maximum
capacity of 99 people, requiring a massive system of ducts that run through the
ceiling. "Of everything, it was my
greatest cost," Aydinol said, "Because it upsets the heating and cooling
systems, I have to pay more in heating and electricity to keep my temperature
steady."
Despite
the high start-up cost, Aydinol said he wanted to create a place that college
students could afford. For $14, a pair of people can choose one or two of the 56
flavors of tobacco they carry, a base of milk, juice or water as a filter, an
appetizer and two drinks.
Downtown, The Hookah House is a similar operation to Aydinol's. It was the first hookah bar in Lawrence and has been operating since Sep. 2006. The Hookah House offers a similar menu with 20 flavors of tobacco, appetizers and drinks, but has a slightly lower price at $10.99 for a hookah and choice of any two appetizers or drinks.
The
Hookah House is owned and operated by the Chahine family, who started it to
offer students an alcohol free environment.
"We want them to relax and be social in a
sober way, and hookah is one way of doing that," said Hani Chahine.
Aydinol
said he plans to draw people to the Lounge with a high quality establishment. He
said all his equipment is very well made, using heavy handmade pipes, camel
leather hoses and real ceramic bowls. He said he uses special chemical-free coal
and rich tobacco. Having a high caliber of hookah is expensive but he said is necessary
to have the smoothest, most pleasant experience.
Customers
take note of the effort Aydinol has put into his store. "It has a really nice
ambiance," said Jenni Farr, freshman. Farr came in with two friends, one of
whom said she had never been to the Lounge.
"I've
never seen a place like this before," said Elise Shea, freshman. "I tried the
Hookah House, but I like this place better," said Emily Evans, freshman, "The
people here make you feel really welcome."
Aydinol
said business is slow, but the Lounge has only been open for four months and
has yet to make a name for ifself. He says that with the school year starting,
more students are coming in and they're steadily grabbing customers.
A lot
of the people coming through are repeat customers said Michael Gillespie, an
employee.
"People
can come in from the bars, relax and sober up," Gillespie said. The customers
can watch a movie on the main screen or play games on the back TV.
"It's
good to have an alternative method of fun," Gillespie said.
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