When Dallas bar Idle Rich Pub closed at 2614 McKinney Ave. in early 2018, the plan was for the building to be bulldozed before an 18- or 19-story apartment tower was built in its place. It happens all the time, especially in Uptown Dallas. But then it didn't.
Landlord James Carroll, whose family operates 44 restaurants in Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston and owns more than a dozen other properties, decided not to build the high-rise on McKinney Avenue immediately.
"There are so many towers that have opened over the years in Uptown and other surrounding areas," Carroll says. "I just felt like it wasn't the right time to bring another tower out of the ground."
At this point, Idle Rich had already decided to close. Eulogies were written. And then Carroll made another deal in the existing building: He offered a short-term lease to a group of brothers and their friends, who opened the nightclub One Sette in late September.
"We took over a place that was a little bit of an establishment in Dallas," says 28-year-old Brandon Nugent, one of One Sette's operators. He says their deal came along after Idle Rich owner Feargal McKinney had already made plans to move on.
"People had some really good memories there," Brandon says.
Brandon is leading the team at One Sette along with his brothers Christopher and Adam, his dad Warren, and friends Matthew Shuch and former Texas Rangers player Mike Napoli.
They all seem to understand the same thing: The lease is considered "short-term," just three years, with the option to extend if Carroll continues to wait to build the apartment tower.
"We wanted short-term," Brandon says. "Someday, they're going to demolish the building. And after it's done, it's done."
Scroll through photos of One Sette on a recent Friday night
The interior of One Sette looks nothing like Idle Rich Pub, and that's on purpose. The walls have been moved and the bars partially relocated. The vibe is "New York study," which the Nugents hope gives the nightclub a more relaxed atmosphere despite the dress code (no shorts, no sandals) and bottle service (available at 12 reservable tables).
"A lot of places are trying to be Vegas or Miami, which are strobe lights and girls [riding] out on [people's] shoulders," Brandon says. "We dumbed down all the gimmicks and are really focusing on the waitresses and bartenders and the overall experience."
One Sette will have a DJ all three nights, and the music will be mainstream dance and popular hip-hop, Brandon says.
Brandon and some of his brothers have worked as doormen and managers at Dallas clubs like Aura, Avenu and Sisu. Add in Napoli and One Sette has already had lines of Uptown clubbers waiting at its velvet ropes.
"It made it really easy to partner up with [Napoli], because he's got that kind of party mentality, which is what you want when you're opening up a lounge/club," Brandon says. (And, interestingly, landlord Carroll played minor league baseball with Napoli, but he says he didn't realize Napoli was one of the One Sette investors until recently.)
Take a virtual tour inside One Sette here.
The name is a play on the Italian words for one and seven, and the owners chose it because Warren is one of 17 children from the same parents. You read that right: 17 kids. It's pronounced "one set."
Eventually, One Sette might open once a month on Sundays for a catered brunch, Brandon says. There are not future plans to turn the club into a restaurant, however. On most weekends, it will be open for just three hours, three days a week: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.
If you go, look out for Napoli, who Dallas Morning News' Rangers writer Evan Grant has called the "unofficial mayor of Uptown Dallas."
"I like to have a good time, to show people a good time," Napoli says.
One Sette is located at 2614 McKinney Ave., Dallas. onesette.com.
Story updated on Oct. 15, 2018 with new photos inside the nightclub
