Few businesses stand the test of time as well as Mountain Charley’s, surviving for over 50 years in the town of Los Gatos. When a business has made its mark in people’s hearts, is there room for another story?
After Mountain Charley’s closed, businessman Alex Hult revived the watering hole, first with a dinner theater concept called Immersive, alongside Donovan Friedman, then as a throwback Charley’s LG brand, reflecting the ethos of the saloon opened by Jim Farwell and business partner Jack McNamara in 1972.
Last year, according to a Charley’s LG source, Hult decided to sell the business to focus on other projects, including a restaurant-focused AI startup.
Now four young entrepreneurs are taking their shot with a new club that has been open for a month and a half. And they’ve aptly named it Second Story.
Part-owner Sammer Mitri, 32, explains how he got into the nightclub business.
“I have a master’s in mechanical engineering, but I started businesses while in college at the University of Pacific. I opened an escape room, and also started real estate investing while interning,” Mitri says.
Second Story is inspired by Dukes London, “one of the most famous martini bars in the world,” Mitri says. “We don’t shake our martinis. We freeze the bottles so that you can pour straight from the bottle and not dilute it with ice. We also serve snacks: mixed nuts, olives, and pickled veggies that are homemade.”
Another young entrepreneur, 29-year-old Danny Shafazand, has experience as an owner of multiple nightclubs and restaurants in the Bay Area. Asked which ones, he replies, “Nova in downtown San Jose and Wild Rose in downtown Campbell. I also worked at what once was across the hall, LGBG, for eight years before their doors closed.”
He’s specific about what sort of environment he wants Second Story customers to experience. “Upscale. Intimate and personal,” says Shafazand, who began busing tables at age 14. “I want it to feel like a local bar. Bringing something new to the city that this city would enjoy. I want to get to know people and know their names.”
The other members of the team are Jameson Parvizad and Jamie Garland, both 35, who have been friends for 20 years. Parvizad tells me he first started as a restaurant host at Rosie McCann’s in Santana Row when he was 21.
“I opened my first nightclub at 30, called LVL 44. Then I opened Water Tower Kitchen in Campbell, in 2018. I have a passion for hospitality.” It’s a passion that “comes from an upbringing of having a lot of respect for people and always taking care of them.”
“I always saw myself as a host, and wanted people to have a good time,” he says.
Garland tells me she began working in the industry at 17, at Straits in Santana Row. “I started cocktailing and bartending at 21. Then, in 2012, I moved out to Houston to help open Straits there. On top of that, I’ve been a hair stylist since I was 19, and opened my own hair salon in 2016 called B Society, right here in town,” says Garland.
The name Second Story is not only a reference to the business being a fresh start after the loss of Mountain Charley’s— the first major renovation in almost 60 years. It’s also a play on words, since the bar is on the upper floor.
All of the partners have their strengths, and they say they work well together. They have plans to bring in live music, including R&B acts, finding a way to make their mark.
