It’s beyond chilly inside the hip “vodbox” at Erney’s 32 Degrees on Manchester Avenue’s the Grove neighborhood, but the nightclub continues heating up.

A year after its 2008 Thanksgiving weekend opening, the swanky Erney’s 32 Degrees is holding tight onto its position as a must-see destination in the Grove. The first anniversary party is Friday night.

“I think it’s amazing taking something from nothing, a scratch of an idea, and turning it into something that has become such a popular venue,” says owner Mark Erney. “It was an idea, a vision, and it has come full circle and people are embracing it.”

He says the first year of Erney’s 32 Degrees far exceeded expectations of what he thought the nightspot could be, thanks to keeping “my finger on the pulse. I think we’re a classier choice, and our surroundings our conducive to feeling good.”

“We’ve identified ourselves as a great bar, not a gay bar,” says Erney, who also runs the Loading Zone in the Central West End.

“That’s the secret. We identify with everyone in the community. We don’t leave anyone out. Anyone who comes here will be comfortable. My parents come here and enjoy themselves,” he says.

Though he calls Erney’s 32 Degrees a great bar, not a gay bar, the spot was voted top gay bar by the Riverfront Times. “I totally appreciated that, and it’s an honor. But I’d rather just be called the number one bar, or the people’s choice on Manchester,” he says. “It puts people in a pigeonhole when they say upfront what you are rather than letting them get to know you first.”

He says one trend in nightlife partying is bringing the straight and gay communities together in one hotspot. “I don’t know how many people want to say they’re going to a gay bar anymore. They just want to go out and have fun with great music and drinks. It helps people feel comfortable.”

There’s plenty for people to get comfortable about at Erney’s. He considers it three venues in one, from the lounge area with the main bar and the vodbox, the adjacent room with the dance floor and a second bar, and now the extended, fully insulated patio with the third bar.

“Every time someone walks in here, I want it to be like the first time they walked in here. I want them to bring in a friend from New York and they’re like ‘wow,’ ” he says.

Part of that wow factor is the vodbox, the walk-in vodka freezer.

“The vodbox is off the charts,” he says of the freezer, when patrons select their favorite among the many vodka brands and flavors from the shelves and drink shots. “That was a grand slam. That paid for itself in the first week. It’s something different.”

Erney says the biggest challenge the first year of running the club hasn’t been the gay/great thing, but rather keeping it “fresh, clean and in good repair.”

“I spent over $200,000 in lighting, the sound system, and curtains, and not everybody respects everything. That’s what keeps me busy. The weekends are huge, and during the week I’m fixing things that are broke. And white curtains and furniture need attention. People grab the curtains and they get dirty, and I do paint touchups every week,” he says.

Looking forward, he says the club will continue improving, as he learned “every single thing I did last year, I can do better next year. I’m more equipped for holiday parties now, so we’ll do better with that. We had a great Mardi Gras party, but know where we can improve. And as a dance venue, we can work harder at that, push that side of it.”

Erney’s 32 Degrees, which had an anniversary kick-off party last week, comes back with its official anniversary party Friday with dancers and guest DJs. Though he runs a nightclub where patrons can come as they are, he hopes his patrons will step it up for the anniversary party.

“We prefer that people dress up and look nice, but it’s not required. But a lot of people are looking for a good reason to look extra nice,” he says. “People miss the getting ready aspect of going out. But we also don’t want to take ourselves out of the casual circle.”

Get more information on Erney’s 32 Degrees by going to its Facebook page, or myspace.com/erneys32.