Students redefine clubbing

by Jessica Del Curto

Daily Lobo

When Aleks Mkhitarian was 17 years old, he created a business plan to open a state-of- the-art club in Albuquerque.

His vision included installing a sound system, a VIP room, a light show, a liquid nitrogen cooling system and best of all, cheap drinks.

When he was a sophomore at UNM, Mkhitarian submitted his business plan to a beginning management class and got an A+.

Now, the 23-year-old UNM business undergraduate has opened a million-dollar club - The Colosseum - that boasts everything in his original business plan and more.

Mkhitarian, a Los Angeles native, moved to Albuquerque when he was 6. Even in his childhood, he had always been business minded and wanted to do something about the lack of entertainment in his new home. Later, because he looked old for his age, he was able to get into clubs all over the country, where he began his research.

Mkhitarian took notes on how many garbage bags bartenders would take out at the end of the night and estimated how many bottles of beer were sold.

"I was pretty impressed with myself," he said. "The numbers I am doing now and the numbers I estimated are almost dead on."

Eventually, Mkhitarian took on the task of finding the ideal location for his club and applying to the state Alcohol and Gaming Division for a liquor license, which he said proved to be one of his biggest challenges.

"I can get a law passed by Congress before I can get a liquor license," he said. "The division is just a big mess behind a mountain of paperwork."

After a meeting with Mayor Martin Ch†vez, Mkhitarian finally got a license and opened the club in the middle of the downtown strip.

He runs the club with the help of his 20-year-old brother, Jack Mkhitarian, who also is a UNM business student.

Mkhitarian turned to his father, an Armenian businessman who moved to the United States in 1980, for the club's startup funds.

He said at first his father didn't exactly like the idea of his son opening a nightclub.

"My dad actually forced me to be a dentist," Mkhitarian said. "I was on my last semester and a half, and was about to take my dental aptitude test, but I just couldn't do it."

Now, Mkhitarian is taking business classes basically to keep his parents happy.

"It's just kind of hard to listen to a professor talk about running a business when you already own one," he said.

The Colosseum, which opened two months ago, is popular among college students, Mkhitarian said, in part because of the cheap cocktails.

That Mkhitarian is slightly older than the legal drinking age himself is a disadvantage, he said.

"Until I tell people how old I am, they take me serious as a heart attack," he said. "Then, when they find out my age, they start treating me differently. It gets to be annoying."

He said sometimes his underage friends think because he owns a club they will be allowed in. Mkhitarian is well aware of the steep fines for letting in underage patrons, and is not afraid to tell people no.

"You can't mix friendship with business - it's hard enough with family," he said.

Mkhitarian said he plans to open another club downtown in a few years and possibly branch off and create a corporation selling liquid nitrogen.

"Our mindset is on making money and staying in business for awhile," he said.