NEW BARS: Club M

Danny Rangel came to see the heart of the city as Club Montrose's second chance.

"At first, I was kind of skeptical," he said about the night spot's new home on Dallas Avenue. And no wonder: It's a definite downsizing.

Housed in a sprawling, warehouse-like banquet room in Edinburg, the original Club Montrose drew stunning crowds in the early 2000s, shining a light on the sheer number of gays and lesbians in the Rio Grande Valley.  

When competitors like Trade Bar and Barcode started dividing the market, Rangel knew a change was necessary.

"(The old building) was intended to be a dancehall," said Rangel, the club's 40-year-old co-owner. "It was too big."

Earlier this month, the newly-christened Club M became the first "alternative" bar in the new downtown McAllen. Rangel doesn't feel like the odd one in the neighborhood, though.

"The whole ‘That's a gay bar, that's a straight bar' thing - that's no longer the concept," he said.

Kristina York agrees.

"I've seen a lot of new customers, and a lot of them have been straight people," said York, a prolific "female impersonator" and longtime colleague of Rangel's. She advised him during Montrose's move and has already performed at the new venue. York thinks her upcoming twice-a-month shows will earn her new fans.

"I had a lot of straight girls coming up to me saying, ‘You look so pretty! Who does your makeup?"

Rangel hadn't really considerd McAllen when he was approached by Heart of the City director Joe Rodriguez, who showed him several other properties downtown.

"One day, Danny called and said, ‘I got something for you.'"

The building, facing south on Dallas around the corne from Bicentennial, "didn't look like much" when Danny first saw it. After months of renovation, he's boasting about the main bar he designed, a giant S-shape counter meant to facilitate bargoers' interactions from one end to the other. He plans to add mirrors along the walls to disguise Club M's compact size.

Rangel wanted to replicate that familiar Montrose vibe at the bar's new home. For 22-year-old patron John Flores, the plan was, basically, a success.

"It has that same dark feel to it," Flores said.

"In a couple of years, it'll be a prime location," Rangel said. "The future looks bright - if everyone can get rowing in the same sequence."

Namely, the police, who just "aren't used" to the growing flood of partiers.

"We'll have to work hand in hand with them,"  he said.

Right now, his biggest priority is regrouping the faithful.

"I'm a sheep herder trying to get the sheep back," he said, but the pastures are prime property.

"This area could have no boundaries."

Club M
1704 Dallas Ave.
(956) 655-8587

www.myspace.com/clubmontrose

HOURS: 3 p.m.-2 a.m.

OPENED: November

FORMERLY: El Camero Lounge, one of several cantina-style bars lining or adjacent to Bicentennial Blvd.

STYLE: "Alternative" bar

MUSIC: GLBT-favored dance and pop hits

AGE: 21-40

LIVE MUSIC: The owner will soon be booking bands for a rock ‘n' roll night, probably Wednesday

TRY THE: The Krytonite ($5.25), recommends bar manager Daniel "Superman" Garza

RECIPE: Barcode - boonies + familiar feeling

ONE YEAR OUTLOOK: While we question how much appeal Club M will have to the hetero bar hopper, the new location centralizes the alternative scene squarely in McAllen. Montrose's loyal fans will make it work.

TYPICAL PATRON: Early to mid-20s, works in the service industry or in a small-office environment, more concerned about having a good time with buddies than working the runway.