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1551 W. Division Street
Review by D-Jam
There are two big factors that come into play when one opens a nightclub. One of them is location. The place where a person would put their future “funspot-for-profit” can either make or break a nightclub in this business. The second factor is the image or “overall package” of the club. A hole in the wall with a strobe light and a DJ is not a very good image for a nightclub, if you get my point.
Big Wig is a place where the management took a little
ingenuity, some old barbershop surplus, and built a beautiful club where a watering hole
of a bar once stood. As you enter through the front door, the main part of this place has
a high ceiling. Hanging from the ceiling are small lamps made from old hair dryer lids. To
the left is the bar. If you look closely, the shelving behind the bar contains not only
liquor, but also mannequin heads wearing bright color wigs and several items that one
would find at a classic barbershop. Everything from boxes of powdered shaving foam to
those jars that contained blue gel used for disinfecting combs. The bartenders even used
two of these jars for holding cherries and olives.
Another noticeable feature of Big Wig are the
chairs that line the walls across from the bar. They are actually salon chairs with
hairdryers attached. Further towards the back of Big Wig, a lower ceiling was put in to
make the back more of a lounge area. The walls are covered
with small round mirrors. More salon chairs
fill the area along with some very curvy, yet cozy, booths with tables for those who want
to be more intimate. For those who don’t have someone to get close to, there’s
also a pool table for added entertainment.
Speaking of entertainment, Big Wig sports two events
every week. Every Tuesday, hosts Christopher, Eric, and Stephen bring you La Mode.
Featured in this special occasion are the new fashions from different designers, one every
week. Helping you groove to new looks is DJ Eric Ross spinning the best in U.K. house.
Saturdays are also a great night at Big Wig. DJ Ben Green throws down everything in
sophisticated dance music from the modern jams of today to the old school hits of
yesteryear. The sophistication and allure of the crowd alone makes is a great night to
head to Big Wig.
This is another place that does not need tricks to bypass the cover charge, mostly because there isn’t one on most nights. The cover on Tuesday is a mere $3 and $5 on Saturdays. The best reason to go to Big Wig on ANY night is mostly because you get the flash and sound of the big clubs without the politics (high covers, pestering waitstaff, etc.). Big Wig is entirely local in itself and a pretty cool place to lay back any night of the week.
Big Wig is located at 1551 W. Division Street in Chicago. For more info, call 773.235.9100.