Puget Sound Business Journal:
A representative for The Beauty Bar, a salon-themed club chain with six locations, is searching for a venue on Capitol Hill and hopes to open there later this year. Owners of The Viper Room, a famous Sunset Strip nightspot, came to the Puget Sound area in early March to look for possible locations. A national chain, the Hard Rock Café, is set to open near Pike Place Market in July. Club owners say they see opportunity in the Puget Sound area, even during the economic downturn. Paul Devitt, owner of The Beauty Bar, said his company remains profitable because people still want to gather and hear music, regardless of the economy. Seattle’s music industry brought in a record $1.2 billion in sales last year, according to the Mayor’s Office of Film and Music.