Spring Break
The Daily OrangeThe smoking room
Two SU football players team up to create Marshall Street hookah bar
By Daniel Bortz
Posted: 11/13/08, 1:14 AM EST Section: Feature
To create that environment, Marinovich and Rechul chose to design two different lounges, each with its own theme and purpose. The first one is called "The Middle Eastern Lounge," which has a more traditional atmosphere with tapestries and red velvet couches. The second lounge, known as "The Hollywood Room," is complete with high-definition TVs, 13 leather couches and three spotlighted display guitars.
Marinovich said there are essentially two types of hookah bars: the upscale and often overpriced kind, and the low-key, commonly lesser quality lounge. He said in designing the two rooms for Hollywood Hookah, he and Rechul tried to capture the best of both worlds.
"I've always liked the upscale type of place, but they usually charge way too much for their hookah," Marinovich said. "And other times, I'm in the mood for just hanging out, quiet, just listening to some reggae in the corner, but those types of places usually have cigarette burns in the couches and you don't want to sit without putting down a towel first."
So far, customers such as Emily Bush said they enjoy the bar's welcoming environment.
"I love the atmosphere and the owners are really personable," said Bush, a senior bioengineer major. "It's like a home away from home."
Rechul said he wants students to be able to come to the hookah bar and take their minds off schoolwork.
"Students need to get away from their everyday academics, and that's what Hollywood Hookah gives them," Rechul said.
But in an effort to create that getaway, Rechul said he and Marinovich have lost sleep and energy.
"We're exhausted 24/7," he said. Rechul and Marinovich have been using Mondays - their one day of the week off from football - to handle the business.
Despite the sacrifices he and Marinovich have had to make, Rechul said he thinks the hard work will all pay off in the end.
"Just from the last couple days of business, we've brought in a fair amount of revenue," Rechul said. "It looks like we may make more than what we expected."
Rechul added that some of the customers have said they were surprised by the lounge's décor. "We've had people say things like, 'We heard football players were starting this place and we're surprised that it's so nice.'
"I guess they were expecting holes in the walls," Rechul said with a laugh.
dsbortz@syr.edu
Marinovich said there are essentially two types of hookah bars: the upscale and often overpriced kind, and the low-key, commonly lesser quality lounge. He said in designing the two rooms for Hollywood Hookah, he and Rechul tried to capture the best of both worlds.
"I've always liked the upscale type of place, but they usually charge way too much for their hookah," Marinovich said. "And other times, I'm in the mood for just hanging out, quiet, just listening to some reggae in the corner, but those types of places usually have cigarette burns in the couches and you don't want to sit without putting down a towel first."
So far, customers such as Emily Bush said they enjoy the bar's welcoming environment.
"I love the atmosphere and the owners are really personable," said Bush, a senior bioengineer major. "It's like a home away from home."
Rechul said he wants students to be able to come to the hookah bar and take their minds off schoolwork.
"Students need to get away from their everyday academics, and that's what Hollywood Hookah gives them," Rechul said.
But in an effort to create that getaway, Rechul said he and Marinovich have lost sleep and energy.
"We're exhausted 24/7," he said. Rechul and Marinovich have been using Mondays - their one day of the week off from football - to handle the business.
Despite the sacrifices he and Marinovich have had to make, Rechul said he thinks the hard work will all pay off in the end.
"Just from the last couple days of business, we've brought in a fair amount of revenue," Rechul said. "It looks like we may make more than what we expected."
Rechul added that some of the customers have said they were surprised by the lounge's décor. "We've had people say things like, 'We heard football players were starting this place and we're surprised that it's so nice.'
"I guess they were expecting holes in the walls," Rechul said with a laugh.
dsbortz@syr.edu
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 22
Jane
posted 11/13/08 @ 10:47 AM EST
Because this is what our football team should be doing. Not concentrating on winning games, but opening a place to welcome tobacco. Awesome.
Ralph K.
posted 11/13/08 @ 11:34 AM EST
Hookahs are terrible for your lungs.
No wonder the teams looks so sluggish on gameday.
Lenny N.
posted 11/13/08 @ 2:45 PM EST
The real story? Two football players are trying to get SU students addicted to smoking tobacco, which causes cancer. The water in a hookah does not filter out the carbon monoxide, tar, and nicotine from the smoke. (Continued…)
John Johnson
posted 11/13/08 @ 3:11 PM EST
Why don't you let people decide that for themselves. There is a smoking age, 18. A bar lures people in everyday and drinking isnt healthy by any means. (Continued…)
Smith
posted 11/13/08 @ 4:02 PM EST
WOW, hello haters. Give these kids credit for starting up something like this. Yeah, tobacco's not the greatest thing in the world, but give businessmen the respect they've clearly earned. (Continued…)
thecapedcrusader
George Peters
posted 11/13/08 @ 5:20 PM EST
My question is this: how did they raise the capital to rent space and fill it with the high quality toys mentioned in the article? Did they actually act as businessmen and raise the capital or just simply use their own (their families') money? Before we give credit where credit's due, Smith, let's see if the credit for these "businessmen" is actually deserved. (Continued…)
ben
posted 11/14/08 @ 1:10 PM EST
Im curious to see how they play tomorrow after being at their grand opening all night.
GetGrossOut
posted 11/14/08 @ 1:13 PM EST
No one that plays for Syracuse should be out until 2am opening a bar two nights before the last home game. This is an absolute joke and epitomizes what is wrong with Syracuse football. (Continued…)
Olin
Olin MacGregor
posted 11/14/08 @ 2:08 PM EST
Unbelievable -- these free-ride student athletes -- supposed to be conditioned, are smoking, and worse from pipes known to be synonymous with "Mary Jane" . (Continued…)
NY with a brain
posted 11/14/08 @ 2:22 PM EST
Ummmmm first of all am I the only one that realizes the true business here? LOL tobacco.....um yeah ok.....ha ha....next month the story will read dope ring in Cuse busted. (Continued…)
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