Almost every guy in the world has had a dream to open a bar with his best friend, but few ever see that dream come true. After eight years of watching life take its different twists and turns, Matthew Bongiovi and Vincenzo Rizzo refused to let that dream die. Their persistance finally paid off last October when Elements, the Lounge opened in Sea Bright.
"My last call to Vinnie when I found this spot went like this," recalled Matthew Bongiovi. "I said, 'Vinnie remember that dream we had?' He said yeah. I said, 'Are you still in?' At the time he was working for his family's business. He said, 'Hey, I've got a family now. ?I can't go chasing this dream.'
"After eight years you start thinking that you're just chasing your own tail," added Bongiovi. "I said let's just give this a shot' and sure enough everything just happened. The stars were aligned up for us and it really happened."
Not only did it happen, but Elements is unlike any bar you've ever seen in New Jersey. Architecturally speaking, the place is simply stunning. From the waterfall that you pass by shortly after stepping through the door to the nine beautiful paintings which were all created just for the club, one thing becomes crystal clear - this is not your typical Jersey Shore bar. In fact, this is unlike any bar you've ever seen.
Elements is a place to relax. It's a place to unwind with a nice bottle of wine and not be worried about crowds of people bumping into you and spilling your drink. According to co-owner Matthew Bongiovi, it's simply a matter of Feng Shui.
The club is named after the elements involved with Feng Shui, an ancient Chinese practice in which a structure or location is chosen or configured to achieve maximum spiritual harmony. Each of the five elements - water, wood, fire, metal, and earth - are all represented throughout the club.
"With Feng Shui you're creating your own atmosphere and your own energies," explained Bongiovi. "It's a flow of energy. And to be able to take those elements and put them into a club atmosphere or a lounge atmosphere - you're instantly taking a bit of pressure off of people because there's a level of comfort when they walk in and they're sitting and being served. You have a level of comfort when you come here. It takes the frustration out of going out."
Visitors to Elements walk into a world where they are a VIP. According to Bongiovi, people are constantly surprised by what the experience is like the first time they visit the club. "One of the things we were thinking of doing at the beginning was having the top floor be a VIP room," he said. "I did away with that. I wanted everybody to enjoy the whole place, so they have more of a surprise when they come here. One, there's no cover charge when they're walking in and they expect one. Two, they come in and they're always asking if they can go upstairs. And there's a little more shock to them when they realize they can truly enjoy every aspect of the club. The design alone, no matter where you sit - it's like a VIP room."
If you desire even greater service, Elements offers locker memberships at $2000 per year. Membership comes with a card that has a magnetic strip holding all of your pertinent information - what's in your locker, what your normal purchases are, your favorite drinks, birthdays, etc. And, membership certainly does have its own rewards. Members are able to come in without ever waiting, get invitations to special members only events, and can reserve a table without bottle minimums (normal requirement is one bottle for every six people at a table).
The club is located along Route 36 in Sea Bright, one block away from the ocean. Water, being one of the elements in Feng Shui, plays a significant role in the club; however, the location was actually chosen for more practical reasons.
"Jersey liquor licenses are very hard to come by," explained Bongiovi. "In the past, we'd find a town without a license or a license in a town we didn't want to be in."
The dream survived even as many sidesteps happened along the way. "So many times we thought we were right there and then it was like boom! Blink-of-an-eye, let's look at another spot. We said that a dozen times. Then he moved out to L.A., came back down here, and this fell right onto our laps," said Rizzo.
As luck would have it, the building they are in right now was last occupied by a restaurant that went bankrupt just two days before Bongiovi called a local realtor. It was the stroke of luck they needed and being in Monmouth County made it even sweeter.
"This is hometown for me," said Bongiovi. "I grew up in Monmouth County and Vinnie grew up here. ?What a better place to go after your dream than in your backyard?"
After securing the building, the next step was convincing his partner that they should design the club around the principles of Feng Shui.
"We've always had a bunch of things in mind," said Vincenzo Rizzo. "But when he hit me up with this Feng Shui thing, I looked at him like he had two heads."
Bongiovi got turned on to Feng Shui while working in Los Angeles for a boss that swore by it. Eventually he won Rizzo over.
"When we took over this place, he was like we have to do this," said Rizzo. "And I fell in love with it. I really did. You do have that vibe in here when you walk in. Everybody feels it."
Elements is known as a destination club. People make plans to go there for their special night out. So far, patrons have come from as far south as Philadelphia and as far north as Connecticut.
Since daring to take a chance on their dream, Elements has truly been a success. Plans are already under way to launch four more Elements to complete the five elements of Feng Shui.
"This thing took eight years for Vinnie and I to do," said Bongiovi. "Now that you have it, the thing is to keep going - keep reaching. For me, it's like reach for the stars, if you hit the moon you made it."
Ambition must run in the family for Bongiovi. His brother Jon (Bon Jovi) is one of the world's most famous rock and rollers. Matthew began his career first as production assistant, then logistics coordinator, and finally tour manager for his older brother superband. This was followed by impressive stints as general manager for Los Angeles' famed Laugh Emporium, The Comedy Store, talent coordinator for House of Blues, Inc., and a talent buyer for live entertainment giant Clear Channel.
"This was the best way for me to get out of the music business but stay in the entertainment business," said Bongiovi.
Word is getting around about the club along the Jersey Shore unlike any other. Crowds of people flock to the club on Friday and Saturday nights making it one of the hottest places to be in the tri-state metropolitan area. It's becoming much bigger than just New Jersey.
"This place is becoming the Woodstock of Jersey!" exclaimed Bongiovi. "I've got guys coming up to me and thanking me for doing such a high end concept in the area. I mean, we're used to Tradewinds, we're used to Donovans, we're used to the Stone Pony - we're not used to New York City. One night a few Saturdays back, at 12:30 at night there was still a line outside. It was snowing and people weren't leaving. I'm thinking here it's February, it's snowing and they're waiting to get in. I did something right."