Club's Success Makes A Good Case For Lawyer

A conversation with Stephanie Dorgan

Job: Owner of the Crocodile Cafe.

Age: 34

Residence: A native of Richland, Dorgan now rents a condominium near Pike Place Market. She hates commuting and loves city life.

How her business got started: She decided at age 31, after 2 1/2 years as a lawyer, to quit her job at Davis Wright Tremaine and open the Crocodile. She decided her law career was boring, and she felt, as a fan of alternative music, that Seattle needed a club at the time. Since opening in April 1991, the club has been one of the city's hottest night spots. Dorgan has hosted such celebrity musicians as Nirvana, R.E.M., the Posies, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Mudhoney.

In the spotlight: Dorgan was featured in the November issue of Working Woman, in a story profiling five U.S. women who have made major career changes.

On good timing: "It's fortuitous I had the idea when I did. I wouldn't open a club now. I just heard there are eight clubs in Seattle now."

Favorite band: Dorgan lists three bands as favorites: the Walkabouts, Mudhoney and Beat Happening (an Olympia band).

How she got started: Dorgan formed a limited partnership and raised $100,000 in capital. About a third of the cash was her own money; much of the rest came from fellow lawyers. She found the site, a closed-down Greek restaurant at 2200 Second Ave., and signed a five-year lease with a five-year renewal.

Early success: This month, Dorgan will pay off the last of her 14 investors. The club grosses $50,000 to $65,000 a month.

Despite ignoring conventional wisdom, which advises entrepreneurs to start a business with six months' reserve cash on hand, Dorgan survived her early months quite well. She credits her own good timing and the experienced staff she hired (including Terry Lee Hale, former owner/operator of the well-known Central Tavern, to book bands).

"I don't have trouble delegating, and I give people a lot of freedom here. If I want to get away for a week, I can," she says.

Dorgan sometimes works more than a 40-hour workweek and sometimes less; the club initially required many more hours than law, but not anymore.

The biggest difference between the Crocodile and law: Dorgan meets many more interesting people than she used to. "I love to talk to people. It's much more social."

The biggest similarity: "You still have to comply with the law." The many small-business regulations - especially liquor laws, Dorgan says - require good legal sense.

Looking back: Dorgan says she doesn't regret the time she spent in law school. She says it was something she enjoyed, and it gave her a good, broad view of life.