Backroom Social Club adds to Bentonville nightlife

Backroom Social Club recently started leasing a 12,000-square-foot building in Bentonville that will serve multiple purposes for the community events company.

Formerly CACHE Studios, the building at 1004 S.E. Fifth St. includes artist studios, a dance floor and events space. Renovations are ongoing, but Backroom Social Club will also have a recording studio, bar and coffee shop.

Co-owners Sam Solano and Karen Leibowitz launched Backroom in downtown Bentonville in July after moving from Texas. Backroom has hosted nighttime events, including the Format Festival afterparty at CACHE Studios and a family-friendly, pop-up dance party at the Momentary.

“It started out as a pop-up,” Solano said. “It was like backroom nightclub pop-ups. Now, it’s become this whole community … of artists, musicians …  That’s why we’re changing it to Backroom Social Club because it’s going to be a place where people congregate, listen to music, dance together, do art together and play music together.”

They started Backroom because of the lack of area nightlife, Leibowitz said. She noted that Fayetteville’s nightlife is “not everyone’s cup of tea. It’s not everybody’s scene on Dickson … We love music. We’re both musicians, and we like to work hard, play hard.”

They want to fill a nightlife gap in the Bentonville/Rogers area. Leibowitz said Backroom isn’t only for the young and that older people also want a nightlife experience.

Backroom Social Club is expected to be open from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. or later on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Art auctions, jazz nights and daytime, family-friendly events are planned. NWA Movement Hub also hosts dance classes there. The building owners are Tom and Steuart Walton.

Backroom provides space for 18 artists and has five staff. More information is available online.