One could make an argument that Scottsdale's glamorous nightlife scene — well-known throughout the country thanks to numerous national articles and cable TV networks from MTV to E! — began with a failed cigar bar.

When Les and Diane Corieri opened Axis — an upscale cigar lounge and martini bar — in August 1997, “Scottsdale nightlife was nonexistent at that time,’’ Les says. “There really wasn't a lot out here.’’
By November ’98, Axis itself was struggling.

“When we opened (Axis), we were successful in creating what we wanted — a laid-back atmosphere, cigars — but as the cigar phase died, so did those type of bars,’’ Les says. “We saw that we needed to make a transition.’’

And so Axis/Radius, the Valley's quintessential nightclub, was born: Two different rooms — a laid-back lounge and a high-energy dance club — merged together by a glass catwalk.

“You listen to your market, and people wanted to dance," Diane Corieri says.

Tom Anderson, who owns longtime downtown Scottsdale nightclub Anderson's Fifth Estate as well as the recently opened Upperdeck Sports Grill, says the transformation helped put the city on the map.

“(Les) brought some celebrity status downtown with some of the people he brought in,’’ Anderson says. ‘‘He runs a great, first-class operation. ... He does have the No. 1 nightclub in the state with Axis/Radius because of prestige.’’

In the five-plus years since opening Axis/Radius, the Corieris have built a nightlife empire. They own two more of Scottsdale's hottest clubs — the multi-roomed dance club Myst and restaurant-lounge Suede, and this week they opened an upscale, beach-themed cantina bar, the Sandbar Mexican Grill.

In addition, the Corieris also own Phoenix's Sports City Grill and Sky Lounge and are partners in Majerle's Sports Grill near America West Arena and Bank One Ballpark.

John Casale, owner of Scottsdale clubs Furio and the Salty Señorita, says the Corieris are ‘‘always aware of what's going on in the market. ... If Les and Diane put the project together, you can be sure that the venue will be entertaining and memorable.’’

A nightlife revolution

The Corieris, who have been married for 15 years and have five children ages 8 to 23 (two are from Les’ previous marriage), started in the restaurant business in Iowa.

“I started working when I was 5,’’ Les says. “We're an Italian family. You start working in the restaurant when you're 5. ... I did everything from dishwasher to cook.’’

Diane met Les while working part-time at his Dallas Club in Ames, Iowa.
“I started out waitressing, and then I bartended and moved to promotions,’’ she says. “It was good money.’’

The Corieris owned several Iowa bars at one point, according to Les, and they still have a couple of establishments there. They might still be in the Hawkeye state were it not for a 1985 vacation to Arizona to visit Les’ sister.

“We really liked the area so we bought a bar in Tempe,’’ Les says. “We bought (the Club Freedom building) in '85 when it was Clancy's. We bought that place, shut it down and opened up the Surprises. It was probably the first really nice nightclub in Maricopa County.’’

The Corieris also opened several other clubs, including Trocaderos, 10 Downing Street and Jetz & Stixx. But it was Axis/Radius that would really make its mark on the downtown Scottsdale club scene.

The Corieris then opened Suede — which sits across the street from Axis — in June 2001.

“It's a comfortable lounge,’’ Diane says of Suede. “We wanted something different than (Axis). We wanted a place where that older clientele could be comfortable.’’

Marcus Bennington, a Suede regular, says the Corieris succeeded in their mission.

“There's not a lot of options for people older than 35 in Scottsdale,’’ says Bennington, 41, of Scottsdale. “This area has become saturated with college kids and people who aren't too much older than that. I don't feel out of my element here like I would if I was at a Dos Gringos or an Acme. It's very relaxed and not clubby. I like that.’’

The Corieris surprised clubgoers last year when they announced plans to join forces with Bob Agahi and Shawn Yari, owners of rival nightclub Sanctuary, ending a four- year bar rivalry.

“It happened because it had to happen,’’ Les explains of the merger. “The bar wars just wasn't working. Both of our profit margins went to virtually zero for a period of time. We made the decision to talk to (Sanctuary's owners) about it. They liked the idea.

“It made sense for different reasons when you look back at it now because we wanted to tap the after-hours market. It made sense because we wanted to stop the bar wars. And both of those worked until the city decided that we couldn't be open for afterhours. And then it was a scram and we had to adapt and we did and it's been very successful.’’

The Corieris, along with Agahi and Yari, closed Sanctuary and reopened it as Myst — which features four VIP skyboxes that overlook a dance floor, an Eden-like lounge and the Ballroom, a kick-back bar with four pool tables and a lounge atmosphere — on March 5.

Secret to success

With new clubs opening in Scottsdale every month, keeping his venues full is a constant challenge, Les says.

“You can't sit back and expect things to happen, especially now with the market as big as it is,’’ he says.

“There are so many places that keep opening,’’ Diane says. “You can't relax.’’

So what's their secret?

“I think it's the difference between us working hard with our management and other places thinking they don't have to work as hard,’’ Les says. “It really comes down to hard work.’’

“We studied this market forever,’’ Diane says. “We made the mistakes and we've had the successes. Every time we have a great party, we sit down and say, 'Why was this better than the last one?' And we analyze it.’’

Les says he and his wife work more than 100 combined hours a week on-site. Their days are filled with marketing, management, operational and budget meetings.

“It never stops,’’ Diane says. “It doesn't stop at home because we go home and talk about it.’’

And with five successful clubs under their belt, there is always the possibility of creating another, Les says.

“He never says never,’’ Diane says, laughing. “Once one's done, he's like, 'What do you think about ... '’’

“We like to create and, really, to me, that's the fun part about it,’’ Les says. “You get burnt out and you go through stages where you don't want to do anymore but then you get that itch again.’’

The Corieri clubs:
Axis/Radius
7340 E. Indian Plaza, Scottsdale, (480) 970- 1112
The laid-back lounge and high-energy dance club are fused together by a glass catwalk.

Myst
7340 E. Shoeman Lane, Scottsdale,
The spacious dance club features a large patio, a dance floor, a sunken bar area, a bar bathed in white décor and an upstairs VIP area with four VIP skyboxes that overlook the dance floor.

Sandbar Mexican Grill
10050 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale,
The newest Corieri creation boasts a sand-covered patio, a game room with pool tables, shuffleboard, air hockey and Golden Tee, and beautiful mosaic pillars comprised of colorful pieces of broken plates, beach shells and tiny bottles of Corona.

Sports City Grill & Sky Lounge
132 E. Washington St., Phoenix,
The downtown Phoenix bar offers something for everyone — a sports bar, lounge and nightclub all under one roof.

Suede
7307 E. Indian Plaza, Scottsdale,
With its dim lighting and intimate atmosphere, the downtown Scottsdale restaurant and lounge is a perfect date bar.