Walking into Loveless Cocktail Club is almost like entering a portal into another world. Glossy red retro chairs line the bar, rows of vinyl records reside behind a DJ station, and nostalgic concert posters are haphazardly pinned above the bar.

The new cocktail lounge at 215 NW A St. Unit 170 in downtown Bentonville has been open to the public for a week, and business is already booming. 

“It’s been a smashing success,” Sam Bilyeu, co-owner and operator, said on Monday. “That’s why we were closed yesterday — we sold out of everything.”

Inspired by Japanese listening lounges, Bilyeu said they have a focus on hi-fi sound quality, amplified by the Hope, Arkansas-made Klipsch speakers on either side of the bar. Theronious Chunk, the club’s resident DJ, spins regularly, and guest DJs will also be added to the calendar.

When a DJ isn’t in the sound booth, bartenders will be spinning full records playing a variety of styles such as funk, disco, R&B, soul, house, pop and rock.

“We’re all vinyl, all the time,” Bilyeu said.

Creative Cocktails, Decadent Dogs

Loveless’s menu features 10 intricate cocktails of varying flavor profiles, such as the Tokito — made with Japanese whiskey, green tea-mint syrup, mint, lime and soda — or the Amalfi Punch — made with spiced gin, lemon aperitif, white chai syrup, lemon, and orange bitters, clarified with greek yogurt. 

However, there won’t be a long wait for the complex cocktails, as a majority of them are pre-made and on tap, garnished with fresh citrus.

“Basically, I’m making like 1,200 cocktails at a time during the day,” Bilyeu said. “So you get your drinks, as long as we’re not incredibly slammed, incredibly fast.”

Without a full kitchen, the food menu focuses on hot dogs topped with elaborate ingredients. Hot dogs are a way to keep it simple, but also a play on Harry’s New York Bar in Paris.

“It’s like one of the oldest cocktail bars on the planet, and they had a hot dog roller,” Bilyeu said. “I just thought it was kind of iconic that you’re getting this upscale French-style service, and then there’s a hot dog roller behind the bar.”

A couple of the patron favorites are The Loveless, which has gruyère and truffle mayo, and the Flame On!, topped with lime aioli, hot Cheeto crumbles, cotija and street corn.

Bilyeu’s business partner, Joshua Widner with Good Spirits and Co., is the creator of Scotch & Soda, a downtown Bentonville whiskey bar. The Scotch & Soda concept was started in Springfield, Mo., where Bilyeu was a bartender. He moved to Northwest Arkansas to help Widner open the second location in 2015 before the pair decided to partner on Loveless.

The bar is located in a downstairs unit in the new Midtown Lane building, which also houses retail store Bearded Goat and Mezzaluna Pasteria & Mozzarella Bar. Located just off the Bentonville square, the commercial spaces in the building are filling up.

“It’s looking like we’ve got a little scene starting over here — this mezzanine is awesome at night,” Bilyeu said.

Loveless Cocktail Club is open Tuesday through Sunday from 4 p.m. to midnight, with Fridays and Saturdays open until 1 a.m. For updates, follow Loveless on Instagram.