USD Magazine Summer 2007

he door to the women’s bathroom at San Diego’s Stingaree nightclub T NIGHTTIME IS THE RIGHT TIME J ame s B r e n n a n ’s S t i n g a r e e i s t r a n s f o r m i n g d ow n t ow n S a n D i e g o by Greg Hardesty [ c e l e b m a g n e t ] makeup mirrors on the bathroom counter — the type of attention to detail that’s helped make Brennan one of the hottest nightclub opera- tors in the nation, as well as a suc- Estate, were invaluable. Now, the social elite are

tomers,’’ Brennan said. “This is a very finicky business.’’ Brennan’s venue has jump-start- ed the transformation of down- town San Diego into a nightlife destination, with venues on par with some of the finest clubs in NewYork, Los Angeles and Miami. A poll by MSN.com in Decem- ber ranked Stingaree — which opened in late 2005 — No. 5 on its list of the hottest clubs in the nation. And Brennan is just warming up.

clamoring to get inside Stingaree, a three-story monu- ment to hedonism, complete with private rooftop cabanas and bottle service that runs $1,200 per table — or into Brennan’s other two San Diego nightclubs, the Side Bar, opened in 2003, and The Witherby, a private-event venue launched in December. “It all boils down to service, and taking care of our cus-

opened, and James Brennan casually walked inside. Brennan, 33, is allowed to do this. He owns the $7 million joint — the largest nightclub ever to open in the historic Gaslamp Quarter, and a magnet for party-hopping celebs andVIPs worldwide. The trim, red-haired business-

cessful real estate developer. “I’m just at the beginning stages (of my career),’’ says

Brennan ’96, who credits his four years at USD for launching him on his already gilded path to success. He said the contacts he made at school, as well as a memorable course, The Principles of Real

man with the thick NewYork accent pointed to the row of

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