Santa Clarita Hosts Dinner Night Club

The Canyon Club is crossing valleys with its new location in Santa Clarita. Lance Sterling, owner of club operator Sterling Venue Ventures in Agoura Hills, plans to open a 25,000-square-foot music club in Valencia, which will join his other venues the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills and the Rose in Pasadena. “We think (the market in) Santa Clarita is identical to Agoura and Pasadena,” Sterling said. “Perhaps a little younger demographic, but we’ll be able to book shows.” Sterling’s venues typically host vintage acts like rock band Gin Blossoms, singer Cyndi Lauper and guitarist Buddy Guy, as well as comedians and cover bands. Sterling believes the more locations he has, the bigger the names he can attract. His newest addition – Canyon Club Santa Clarita – will occupy a former Red Robin restaurant along with adjacent space from closing businesses, essentially taking over the backside of the Westfield Valencia Town Center. The 1,100-person venue will feature a state-of-the-art sound system, concert lighting, a bar, lounge, full dinner service as well as a CaliBurger, a casual restaurant chain in which Sterling purchased the local franchising rights. The Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corp. reached out to Sterling directly about opening the concert location as a booster to the local economy. Originally, Sterling was considering vacant retail locations like former grocery store sites, similar to what the Canyon Club and Rose occupy. However, Santa Clarita didn’t have the right real estate available, so Sterling and the SCVEDC group connected with Century City-based shopping center operator Westfield Corp. Ltd. to explore options at the local mall. “The trend in mall-type properties is to not be just a shopping destination but an entertainment destination,” said Holly Schroeder, chief executive at the SCVEDC. “That’s why we see so many more restaurants and event-type activities happening at malls, so having a permanent venue makes sense.” Last year, Sterling raked in just shy of $20 million in revenue and hopes to increase that number with the new location. If all goes according to plan, it should open in September. – Stephanie Henkel