After attracting scores to their Sayreville venues, the Rexinis brothers are expanding a nightlife empire

Photos By Premiere Digital

Back in the early 1990s, Kosta and Demetri Rexinis knew they could lure scores of hardcore club kids from the middle of Manhattan to dance in a 15,000 square-foot monster of a nightclub that they liked to call Abyss. But Route 35? In Sayreville? With the right music and the best talent, the Greek brothers—who grew up working in their father’s hospitality business—knew they could entice clubbers to cross two bridges and journey into the depths of Northern New Jersey for their brand of entertainment. They just had to get the formula right first.

“My father had the classic immigrant story; he was right off the boat from Greece, but eventually grew his own business to include a number of diners and nightclubs in New York and Staten Island,” Kosta said. “My brother and I grew up in and around the industry, and when I turned 20 and my brother 17, he gave us the opportunity to open something of our own.”

“We were very young and obsessed with New York city nightlife,” the elder brother continued. “We would go out every weekend to big venues like the Palladium and would say, ‘This is what we need to bring to New Jersey.’ So we bought Abyss in 1992. We definitely made a lot of mistakes, but understood the culture, and were able to grow and learn.”

The result was more than the brothers had bargained for. Teen nights, college parties, and a steady stream of Saturday regulars put Abyss on the nightlife map. Each week, they were able to fill their stage with up-and-coming artists, and celebrity appearances gave the club global appeal.

“We wanted to add another element… have more than just a DJ playing,” Kosta explained. “Abyss is a huge part of our history and we’re proud of it. Very few nightclubs turned the corner and brought that kind of talent to New Jersey.”

After finding a successful formula, the brothers added other properties to the roster, most notably Deko Lounge, just a stone’s throw away from Abyss.

“A big part of our success has been the instinct to understand popular culture,” Kosta said. “At the time when we opened Deko, we saw things changing from mega-clubs to more boutique lounges. We knew it was time to tone it down, so that was the direction we took.”

Deko—the name a portmanteau of the brothers’ names– focused on higher-end table service, a then-developing concept which they picked up in Miami.

“We saw what was happening there and knew we had to take the idea and bring it back to Jersey,” Kosta said. And it was that kind of tireless industry research that led to the formation of R3 Ventures, a marketing company that encompasses all of the brothers’ brands.

“The New Jersey club scene has a natural summertime slowdown, so other nightclub owners had approached me and my brother to do events outside of Abyss and Deko,” Kosta said. “We saw it as an opportunity to take the show on the road so we created R3 Ventures—one company that would produce, market, brand, and promote.”

Run by Kosta and Demetri, R3 Ventures handles events at hotspots like Avenue in Long Branch and Revel’s HQ in Atlantic City.

“We have a great reputation for throwing these remarkable rooftop and beach events,” Kosta said. “We run all of the VIPs and take reservations, we work very closely with the owners and staff. Our experience as club owners is what separates us; we don’t come in as normal promoters. We understand the business because we see both sides.”

In recent years, the brothers have added restaurants to their lineup, coming full circle as a hospitality group.

“We opened up Park East for what we saw as a 30-and-over crowd burnt out from the club scene, but one that still wanted to enjoy a night out with their girlfriends or wives,” Kosta explained. “It’s a place where you can have dinner and drinks and go dancing. We feel it’s opening up a whole new world of nightlife for that particular generation.”

Park East, a high-end, Hazlet-based casual restaurant which offers drinks and sushi in an elegant sports bar atmosphere, features a popular Sunday brunch and other functions and events. The veal scallopini is a standout dinner menu item, along with the miso salmon.

“It’s a whole different feel,” the owner added. “You don’t just come here to eat or watch a game. You come here for the great menus and the social experience.”

Central Park, the brothers’ second vision of Park East, located in Roselle, with its private back room called Mister East, is one of the brothers’ latest ventures.

“Through the years, we’ve seen nightlife change…go through many ups and downs,” Kosta said. “You have to keep experimenting. The most recent example of that is us looking at opening a type of pool club down at the Jersey Shore… and the hotel world is something we’re very interested in getting into. But right now, we’re focusing on the properties we have. We’re constantly working harder to stay relevant and keep up with the entire nightlife culture. That’s been our passion for the past 20 years.”

R3 Ventures
732.727.5252 / R3ventures.com