?Honey, I don?t do drinks. I do shots,? says a blonde bartender at Toronto?s newest night spot, Kai. The preview party for the club had just got under way but drinks at the open bar were already flowing steadily.

The new lounge at the Inside entertainment complex at 218 Richmond St. W. is club owner Travis Agresti?s latest business venture. Four years ago, Agresti (pictured at right) opened Inside and nabbed the title of ?Best New Club? at the 2002 Toronto Nightclub Awards, a major accomplishment for the then 20-year old. Not long after, Inside became a major celebrity hotspot when he secured NBA superstar (and former Toronto Raptor) Vince Carter as a business partner. With Kai, Agresti hopes to make his establishment an even bigger draw for the rich and the famous. Like the 40/40 Club in New York City or LAX in Hollywood, Kai is chic, upscale, and exclusive.

?It?s something Toronto had been missing, something cool,? says Agresti of his new club and its discreet, back alley entrance ? the only way to get in. ?I think it?s a little more of a selective, intimate, small venue.?

Indeed, the Asian-inspired Kai (Japanese for ?gathering?) is unique to the city?s competitive entertainment district. Located on the renovated third floor of the Inside building, the small space is sleek and sexy with its big-screen TVs, red lights, and comfortable sofas. Tonight, lovely ladies, dressed in short, kimono-like robes, wander through the crowd offering freshly prepared sushi while two older, distinguished-looking men perform tai chi at one end of the room.

Good food, promises Agresti, is not just an opening night shtick. As a close friend to the countless young Hollywood stars who frequent his club, Agresti knows exactly what his celebrity clientele wants. ?I needed another strong, intimate space to cater to them,? he says, explaining the concept behind Kai. ?For my good clientele I wanted to have a small, intimate place that could offer a full sushi menu every night. It?s a little more of an ultra lounge restaurant type deal.?

He also expects the music at Kai to be a key draw, and plans to bring in a lot of big-name international DJs. ?It?ll be one of the only places that?s discreet ? no curb appeal really ? yet you can come up, and listen to a DJ that you can only normally hear at a venue that holds 2-to-3000 people.?

At 24, Agresti is Canada?s youngest successful nightclub entrepreneur, one that has already made a name for himself as the man celebrities go to when they?re looking to have a good time in T.O. The York University graduate, who had been heading towards a career in law before Inside, has lured everyone from Jessica Alba and Elisha Cuthbert to Kanye West and Prince to his joint.

The secret to his success, he says, is sheer determination. For Agresti, landing that initial bank loan to build Inside was a challenge, with his relative youth working against him. ?People did not expect me to succeed and did not want me to do it,? he says. ?You gotta be persistent and take everything in a constructive manner, for sure, and not get discouraged.? Eventually, he scored a small business loan with TD Bank and Inside was officially in business. It was a huge success, and things continued to improve when he teamed up with Carter a year later. ?We?re partners in pretty much everything we do now?it?s a great partnership and we work well together,? says Agresti. In fact, he adds, the name Kai was inspired by Carter?s one-year-old daughter, who shares the same name. Although Carter is no longer a Raptor, he still has strong ties to the city and continues to be quietly involved with everything that goes on with the club.

No doubt, the Carter connection and Agresti?s wide network of famous friends means A-listers will be flocking to Kai very soon. ?I?ve been inviting a lot of my friends from L.A. and New York,? says Agresti. ?I had a great response until we realized that I?m competing with the Oscars this week. So a lot of them are busy of course, but I?ve gotten guarantees to have them come up and support me in the next two, three weeks for sure.?






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