The creators of Nxlevel, Newton Dennis and Hercules Conway, have

paired up again for their newest business venture: a nightclub.

The creators of Nxlevel, Newton Dennis and Hercules Conway, have paired up again for their newest business venture: a nightclub.

“It’s all about progression in business, you don’t want to stagger. The next logical step for us was to open our own location,” said Dennis.

Nxlevel and this club are two different entities. Dennis and Conway are the only Nxlevel staff involved in both ventures.

The club, One17 Sofa Bar, is located in downtown Greensboro at 117 Greene St. The official grand opening was held on Oct. 28.

The grand opening party was an opportunity for everyone to come out and actually see and experience it. One17 is open for business every Friday and Saturday night. Patrons must be 21 to enter.

“Friday will be the more collegiate night while Saturday will be 25 and up preferred,” explained Dennis.

They also want to make the club affordable. Patrons will be able to get in for free before 11 p.m. if they RSVP on the website. After 11 p.m. they will be charged $5 or $10 to get in but no more than that.

When naming the club they wanted to keep it simple. “We just used its location, 117,” said Dennis.

The club itself has three levels and can hold about 350 people. Greensboro is known for large club venues that can hold in the thousands but Dennis and Conway opted for a smaller location in order to provide a more intimate atmosphere.

The bar, T.Vs, and couches are located on the first floor. The second level is the dance floor where the DJ will be located. The third floor is a full out lounge complete with couches where people can go to converse.

“We chose this venue because of the three levels. It allows us the chance to give the people something different,” said Dennis. “We wanted to give people something new and exciting. I feel the amount of clubs in Greensboro catering to our targeted cliental are lacking.”

With Nxlevel throwing more events and bringing in more profit than ever before, one may wonder what made Dennis and Conway decide to risk their reputation on a new business. Neither of them feel any pressure to live up to anything; in fact it is the opposite. “Our prior success makes us confident. We’ll be successful at whatever we do,” Dennis said.

Dennis and Conway have always had dreams of owning more than one company/business.

“Nxlevel will always be the base of everything but five years from now you don’t want to hear that the only thing Herc and Newt are doing is Nxlevel,” explained Dennis.

“This club is still just one part of our long-term goals.

We also want to open up a restaurant,” he said.

Both men also understand the responsibility that comes with success.

“We know a lot of young people look up to us and we always want to lead by example. Show them that they can do anything. You have to love a good challenge. If it’s challenging we want to be a part of it. If it’s easy we want no parts of it.”

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• Sylvia Obell, Managing Editor