Central Phoenix has never been known for its college nightlife, but ASU’s expanding Downtown Phoenix campus has at least one business rethinking its clientele.

Bar Smith, on Washington Street between First and Second streets, recently began catering to Downtown students by offering a lounge and dance night every Thursday.

Most shops and eateries around the campus close after lunch, when most costumers leave for the suburbs.

However, the Downtown campus’ enrollment has increased by almost 30 percent, adding almost 2,000 students, according to ASU.

Bar Smith’s new Thursday-night venture runs from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.

The bar and restaurant converts into a lounge every weekend, called the Peppermint Lounge. DJs play hip-hop, R&B, Top 40 and a mash-up of other styles.

An open-air bar upstairs accommodates those over 21 while underage students are restricted to the dance area downstairs. An ASU Sun Card at the door lowers the cover charge from $10 to $5.

Bar Smith’s General Manager, Edson Madrigal said, he hopes to change the bar into something more ASU oriented, starting with a new name for Thursday night’s lounge.

“Initially, the whole club thing isn’t what we envisioned,” he said.

“Few places were doing an 18 and up at that point.”

Bar Smith opened in April 2007, and Madrigal said the bar’s direction changed after word spread about the expanding Downtown campus.

“It keeps getting busier and busier,” Madrigal said. “People love the venue, they love the music … they say ‘Hey, this feels like our spot.”

Bar Smith began its 18-and-older night more than a month ago, and Madrigal estimates about 80 students pile into the bar every Thursday.

Manny Camacho works at Bar Smith and DJs lounge nights.

“Thursday it’s more of a hip-hop crowd,” Camacho said. “You can play anything, though, and people will dance.”

Kristen Barrett, a journalism freshman, lives in Taylor Place and has attended the dance night twice.

“It’s a little crowded because it’s kind of small, but it’s fun,” she said. “If there were other things to do, [students] would look at them, but [Bar Smith] is it.”

Barrett said she’s concerned about a lack of local nightlife. She said she plans on returning to Bar Smith on a regular basis but wishes other downtown businesses would follow its example.

This isn’t Bar Smith’s first attempt at attracting students. Owner, Bill Smith, first tried two-for-one deals on food but said not a single student took advantage of it. Dance night produced a more dramatic effect, he added.

“We thought Taylor Place and the places around there would support something like that,” he said. “Any smart business owner would move to attract a new clientele. We’ve been so excited with the ASU crowd coming down here.”

Smith said keeping students downtown instead of commuting to Tempe’s nightlife is critical.

Smith owns several other restaurants downtown — Carmine’s Little Italy Pizza and Pasta, Maria’s Mexican Grill and Stoudemire’s Downtown — and said they could also be changing soon to draw in more customers.

“Something’s going to catch,” he said.

Reach the reporter at channing.turner@asu.edu.