To some Duke students, losing one’s Shooters virginity can be considered an initiation ceremony in its own right.
Although many believe Shooters is a necessary conclusion to a weekend night, all of us are at least somewhat well-versed in what this Durham hotspot represents. Sweaty, drunk, DFMO (dance floor makeout) and grimy are just a few words generally thrown around when Shooters comes to mind.
“Shooters is the game to the pregame," said sophomore Becky Davis. "It is often the ultimate place to end in a given weekend night, and it speaks to every grade level, depending on what you do."
Owner and manager Kim Cates believes that one element of Shooters’ success can be attributed to the working relationships that the establishment—and she herself—have maintained with individuals and groups within the larger Duke community.
“This past homecoming, we had alumni come and express how excited they were to be back at Shooters," Cates said. "People said how much they missed us, and this was a positive thing. It’s really important that I feel this sense of relationship with these people that I am dealing with, and I don’t want that to ever change."
Cates also noted that she tries hard to work with Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) and Duke Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE).
“We provide bus services so that students can get to and from Shooters without driving," Cates said. "Making sure that [students] stay safe is a very important thing for us."
Cates added that strong relationships with Duke athletics, sororities and fraternities is crucial to Shooters' success.
“I support the lacrosse, soccer, basketball, volleyball and football teams, among others,” Cates said, “If I want them to come to my business to support me, I feel like I should support them.”
She further explained that Shooters was originally a country nightclub that catered to the locals within the Durham community.
“Duke organizations would occasionally call to book parties,” Cates said. "Then, little by little, on Friday and Saturday nights Shooters saw more and more Duke students to the point where the locals didn’t like it. They were pushed out.”
There was less demand for the bands that used to play and more desire for the DJ as more and more Duke students began coming to Shooters. Cates ultimately replaced the bands with a DJ.
Duke students know the cover charge to be $5, although it is lower for locals.
“The locals don’t support me catering to Duke, but the locals don’t support me like Duke students do,” said Cates.
There is also a tangibly different atmosphere at Shooters on various nights of the week. Wednesday night is deemed “beer pong night,” and Cates explained that a different group usually attends than they might see on Friday or Saturday. More locals from the Durham and surrounding communities come on Fridays.
“I can always depend on our diehard group of Duke students to be there, though,” Cates said.
Thursday and Sunday nights are for private parties, and, as we all know, Saturday is the “biggest” night at Shooters.
Sophomore Sinaida Cherubin believes that there is a time and place for the quintessential Shooters experience.
“I used to hate being dragged there, and you have to be in a certain mindset to go," Cherubin said. "It’s not the place where you’re guaranteed to have fun every time—you’ll have fun depending on the people you’re with."
Sophomore Kamika Shaw explained that there is always one person who loves Shooters in a group of friends. “They can drag a group there and convince you all that you’ll have a good time,” said Shaw. “But there’s honestly no alternative if all you want to do is go out and dance.”
Regardless of the stigma and how one truly feels about this Durham establishment, most would describe Shooters as a necessary check-off the Duke bucket list.
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