Grace Perry, the owner of the popular Seventh Avenue dive bar, announced plans Friday to open Club Contact next month in the former location of Thundercat Lounge at 747 W. Van Buren St.
In a video posted to Instagram by Perry, the new club will be “a space for live music, late nights and things we just can't do” at Gracie’s Tax Bar.
According to Perry, Gracie’s success over the years helped pave the way for the new project.
How Gracie’s Tax Bar became a downtown Phoenix favorite
Since opening in 2017, Gracie’s has offered more than just drinks, fried pickles and one of the best jukeboxes in Phoenix. The bar and its spacious rear patio have become a go-to gathering spot for the downtown crowd, hosting dance parties, live music, karaoke and eclectic events like “PowerPoint dating” and crafting sessions.“When I first opened Gracie's eight years ago, I thought it would be a space where 10 people would come and play D&D and drink cheap beer. I never thought we'd be opening a nightclub,” Perry stated in her Instagram video. “So I need to extend a huge thank you to our amazing staff, DJs and artists over the years. There's no way we could've done it without you. And we're grateful to create another space for everyone."
Perry, the former frontwoman of Phoenix metal band Landmine Marathon, says the new venue will continue in the same spirit of connection and collaboration as Gracie’s.
"Over the years, Gracie's has been able to grow into this amazing community-driven space thanks to all of you," Perry stated in her Instagram video. "And now we're building upon that [with] something new."
The former home of now-defunct nightspot Thundercat Lounge will become Club Contact in April.
Benjamin Leatherman
What was once Thundercat Lounge is now Club Contact
Club Contact is set to open on April 4 in what was most recently Thundercat Lounge, a retro nightclub and music venue that closed in late 2024 after just 11 months in business.The 3,000-square-foot historic property, located near Van Buren Street and Seventh Avenue, dates back to the 1930s and is one of the only freestanding Art Deco buildings in Phoenix. It underwent extensive renovation by Thundercat Lounge co-owners Jeremiah Gratza and Jacob Wiedmann to transform the place. What they created was an ’80s-themed club with a neon-filled main room and décor riffing on “Saved by the Bell” and “Pee-wee’s Playhouse.”
Gratza and Wiedmann were reportedly working on a basement-level private karaoke room inspired by “Blade Runner” when "setbacks beyond our control" and other factors led to Thundercat Lounge’s sudden closure.
Perry did not reveal in her Instagram video what — if any — changes have been made to transform the property into its new concept and identity.
Club Contact’s opening takes place from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday, April 4 at 747 W. Van Buren St. Admission is free before 9 p.m. Kristen Martinez's MB Foodhouse will have food available for purchase at the event.
