I was so excited to try The Goldmark, since it seemed like an innovative and fun addition to the Larenceville bar scene. With the fate of Belvedere's still undecided that only leaves Remedy and Spirit for dancing, and sometimes those places are just a little smoky for my taste. I was hoping for a nice in between balance with great dance music and an artsier clientele, but I don't think The Goldmark is quite there yet.
In terms of atmosphere I was reminded a lot of Industry on a bad night as soon as I walked in. There were lots of conservatively dressed yuppie types trying to impress someone and a huge amount of bros. If that's your jam it's cool, but I'd rather not spend my evening in a crowd full of super sloshed women and men who refuse to understand that no means no. It felt like it could be categorized as a classy south side establishment, but I think Lawrenceville needs something a bit better. The service was adequate; Not too fast but not fifteen minutes to get a beer opened either.
The layout greatly contributes to the awkward vibe, since the back room has tons of unused space and is decidedly more open. The DJ is currently situated right smack in the middle of everything in a booth a few feet from the end of the bar. (Some people were trying to dance in the four foot square spot between him and the bar...why??) A narrow hallway immediately to the right creates an instant bottleneck. Putting the DJ booth in the rear of the space (and getting rid of that massive column in the middle of the back room if possible) would create a fun area for dancing and mingling and free up much-needed breathing room around the bar.
I may try this place again in six months or so to see if anything has improved. It's cute and I had high hopes.