Clint and Whitney Barlow
Owners, Trees Dallas
Dallas, Texas
How long have you been on the Dallas nightlife scene?
Clint: In Dallas-area bands and a talent booker since the early ’90s, I was Vanilla Ice’s drummer for eight years, including world tours.
Whitney: I have always been in the service industry, including five years bartending at Ghostbar.
How has the scene evolved since you reopened Trees in 2009?
Trees, which opened in 1990 and hosted the likes of Nirvana, Flaming Lips and Radiohead, was in bad shape after closing in 2005. We were gutsy newlyweds though and decided to put it all out there and see what would stick! Reopening was a little scary, but we knew Deep Ellum would rally if someone took the first jump, and it’s been amazing seeing businesses pop up over the years and grow together like a family. Plus, it’s great to see the diverse groups that come to Trees—we see a completely different genre and age group come in every night of the week.
How would you characterize the overall appeal of nightlife in Dallas and the wider Metroplex for groups?
Variety and options. The Dallas area has one of the fastest growing entertainment scenes in the country, with so many established and developing areas and venues to choose from. You can go huge, like Jerry’s World (Cowboys Stadium) to places like Trees that can hold under 1,000, to smaller, more intimate venues.
What are some of your favorite places to go when you are off-hours?
Well, we don't go out much these days because we are busy working on our new project, The Bomb Factory. Opening in April, it will hold up to 4,300 people for events and concerts and include The Factory Ballroom for corporate events, weddings and private parties. When free, we enjoy places like The Black Swan Saloon, The Rustic, Blind Butcher and the Truck Yard.