How is it being a female nightlife entrepreneur in Dallas?
When Suite opened, I ran the door myself, and I ran a hard door. I didn’t have a huge space, and I always thought it was important to have an eclectic mix. The trend at this time was moving away from the velvet rope concept, but it was very important to us. It was crazy at the time to have a door-girl. No one had that in Dallas. A few years later, every club that opens has a door girl. I was the very first one. I also have a different personality from most women, and I’ve always been able to hold my own. In Dallas especially, women are expected to work in offices or in fashion at the most. They open up boutiques; they open up tiny restaurants. Two years ago, a local magazine was doing an article on several important people in nightlife. We had received national press from day one, but in Dallas, they didn’t want to interview me. They would talk to Mathew and Parker because they didn’t think it would be appropriate to interview a woman for it.
