about Covid rules and restrictions, the pop-up was cancelled in the fall of 2020 but ultimately returned in the summer of 2021 with a guest appearance by R&B superstar Jay Sean plus a private event for comedianHeist got a makeover from its original designer, Brian Swanson, who’s created luxe spaces for retail stores, hotels, and celeb residences. Photograph by Jahns Chavez.
When it finally came time to reopen, Basnayake hired Brian Swanson of Swanson Design, who designed the original Heist, to give the place a makeover. Swanson has designed luxury retail stores for Cartier and Fendi, along with hotels, restaurants, and even Tyra Banks’ residence and corporate New York office. Basnayake told Swanson he wanted a design unlike anything else in DC that would be in the conversation nationally—or even internationally.
Swanson came back with a stark black, gold, and concrete look with dramatic lighting. The DJ booth, made of $300,000 worth of imported brass, has moved to the center of the club, and the two bars are wrapped in massive panes of textured glass. Bottle packages still have names like “felony” , “misdemeanor” , and “infraction” . But Heist has updated its bottle list to reflect current tastes. For example, tequila has usurped vodka as the party spirit of choice.
“Tequila has branded itself as an all natural agave drink, so there’s a perception that tequila is almost better for you and you don’t get as hungover if you’re drinking tequila,” speculates Basnayake, who is himself a tequila-soda guy, about its rise in popularity. “When we closed, we didn’t have mezcal on the bottle menu, because we just wouldn’t have sold any mezcal bottles. Now we have mezcal on the bottle menu, because mezcal has become a much more mainstream liquor.
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