07/18/07 @ 03:34:05 pm by archivesadmin
By: Ashley Ess
The face of Wilmington is changing. As the population continues to expand, so does the demand for more businesses to develop. Cynics may resist the idea of this inescapable growth, as new buildings crop up where there once were fields, corporations move in, and former visitors
become permanent residents. But cynicism is a waste of time.
For every chain that plants its roots in our fair city, there are entrepeneurs who are opening businesses entirely unique, embracing our bulging population while adding new color to Wilmington’s cultural canvas. In fact, the canvas is getting so vibrant, it continues to evolve at a seven to eight percent increase annually, according to Connie Nelson of the local Chamber of Commerce.
A few of the new kids on the block, in all sections of our city, were kind enough to share with me their ideas on Wilmington’s bustling business scape, as well as their philosophies on keeping afloat in the massive growth our abode continuously faces with each passing day.
A Downtown REVOLUTION
“Drinkers of the world, unite!” That’s the philosophy at Pravda, downtown Wilmington’s newest place for communal gatherings. In fact, some are even calling it the revolutionary cocktail hot spot.
Meaning “truth” in Russian, Pravda opened a few short weeks ago in what was formerly known as The Roxy. The new bar is so completely different from the old that it is difficult even to put their names in the same sentence. Where there once were blacked-out windows and stripper poles, there is now free and open space, exposed brick and a pool table—and a healthy dose of Russian paraphernalia.
Co-owners and brothers-in-law Dusty Ricks and Owen Dunne describe their partnership as a happy one, with Dunne acting as the face of the bar and Ricks contributing his ideas (and manual labor) behind the scenes. The idea to open a Russian-themed vodka bar was a logical result of their collaboration: Dunne majored in Russian language and literature, spending a semester abroad there in 1994, and Ricks harbors an affinity for 1920s-era Soviet industrial artwork.
When the pair opened upstairs bar and pool lounge Odessa back in September, they knew that they would have the option to lease the space below them at some point. The availability came quite a bit sooner than they anticipated, while they were still trying to get Odessa off the ground, but Dunne says that the opportunity was too good to pass up.
“We got really lucky. This is the prime location downtown to open a bar. This block between Princess and Market streets gets the most foot traffic in the area and is surrounded by other high-end businesses,” he explains.
Dunne, a native of Dublin, Ireland, has spent most of his life in much larger cities, like San Francisco, and he took those experiences to create the atmosphere for his bars.
“I like that you could look at Odessa or Pravda, and they could hold up in any other city; you could be in New York or L.A. and find the same kind of environment,” he states.
Perhaps that is why his bars are such an anomaly for downtown Wilmington’s bar scene. “Some bars have dollar drafts, two-dollar shots and such just to pack the place and make a quick buck. That can create a volatile crowd, and that is not what we are trying to do here,” Dunne elaborates.
What they are trying to do is fill a niche downtown, catering to the mid-20s crowd with disposable income—which can be challenging, Dunne says, “because there are basically three markets for the bar scene here: the Marines, the hip-hop crowd and college students. We felt that the young professionals in the 25-40 age group were being overlooked, and we set out to change that.”
Setting out with such a specific goal was certainly not without its challenges, not the least of which was funding. Because of the timing of their peaceful takeover of The Roxy, money has been tight. The partners revamped the space in only three months, using “the Visa loan,” as Dunne puts it, adding, “Thank God for American credit cards!” The creation of a comfortable space for a certain clientele was more important than recouping their investment, at least in the short term—but that is not to say that they don’t think their hard work will pay off.
It is apparent in the optimistic demeanor of these two that they have great faith in the judgement and loyalty of downtown patrons. They do not advertise, citing that word-of mouth is more effective than any other method. Using Odessa as a point of reference, Dunne says, “Just like in other big cities where there are bars on every corner, the best ones are not so well-kept secrets. If you haven’t heard about Odessa, you wouldn’t even know it was there. But people who find it and like it tell their friends, and that is the best way to get them in the door.”
The key to Pravda’s success will be similar, but undoubtedly enhanced by its accessibility and openness. Perhaps a greater challenge for Ricks and Dunne was not so tangible—that is, skeptics who heard of a Russian bar opening and said, “Who the hell wants to do that? This is America!” To say that the choice was bold would be an understatement, but Dunne hopes that the integrity of the bar will overshadow that, and a bit of education could be a bonus.
“Dusty and I always said we wanted to open a Russian bar, and if we did we would have [Vladimir] Lenin as the focus,” he says, referencing the massive portrait of the notorious leader behind the bar. “But you’ll notice we don’t have any pictures of [Joseph] Stalin. Stalin was a tyrant; Lenin was a revolutionary. There is a big difference.”
And to the naysayers that call Dunne a communist? “Well,” he laughs,” Russia isn’t a communist state anymore, and I don’t see anyone boycotting Chinese restaurants.”
A MODERN TWIST TO MIDTOWN
When Lucy Cherry graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design, she moved to Maui to work for clothing designer Tamara Catz. After two years in paradise, the Topsail Island native became homesick for her own familiar shores. She set out back east to open her own boutique, sharing her fabulous taste and sharpening her own eye for fashion.
Thus was born Lula Balou, an eclectic and funky new clothing store located in Racine Commons on Racine Drive. The central area of Wilmington was not Cherry’s first choice for a business location. She originally wanted to stay closer to home in Topsail but quickly realized that it was a little too seasonal to sustain a successful endeavor. When Racine Commons was being built, she jumped at the opportunity to occupy a space that she could decorate from scratch.
“It was really important to me to retain a beachy feel; I love the beach and the water. It is still what Wilmington is all about and definitely what I want to stay true to,” she says.
An added bonus to being on Racine, she feels, is that the surrounding shops complement each other, therefore bringing in a similar clientele. The proximity to both Landfall and the university draws in a wide range of browsers on very different budgets, so Caherry knew that she needed to provide options for both ends of the spectrum.
The prices in Lula Balou vary from modest to expensive ($60 to $360), all with designer labels nonetheless. Cherry has begun advertising in some local publications and with Focus Ad Group, but her hands-on approach will be what encourages customers to return. She is accessible to shoppers, staying close to the floor, interacting and sharing her passion and expertise with them. “You could say my business philosophy is just to constantly stay fresh and on top of what my customers want,” she offers.
Staying fresh in fashion can require quite a bit of traveling; as Cherry notes she attends trade shows all over the country several times a year. “I try to do most of my buying for the season [there],” she says, suppressing a grin as she thinks about her upcoming trip to LA.
While her dream is to one day start her own clothing line, she is not opposed to the idea of opening more Lula Balous in other parts of the city.
“I felt that a high-end boutique was a good fit for this area. They are more numerous downtown and closer to the beach, so I am trying to fill a niche that has been lacking here,” she explains.
So far the feedback has been positive, keeping her busy since opening two months ago—and if business stays this steady, some downtown and beach boutiques will have a bit of competition on their hands.
THE BEST OF THE BEACH
Beside the shopping center and ABC store on Wrightsville Avenue, a very different structure has been in the making for quite some time. Two weeks ago Julie and Moe Kablouti opened their life’s work to the public, the new classy Italian restaurant Rafaella. The husband-and-wife team wanted the building to feel more like home instead of a restaurant and designed it accordingly, including an upstairs and downstairs, fireplace and screened-in porch. Although Rafaella is new to Wilmington residents, the native New Yorkers actually owned the same restaurant with the same name in Greenwich Village for over 25 years.
With her husband acting as head chef, the endearing and animated Julie Kablouti plays the modest hostess. Their biggest challenges in relocating to Wilmington were not in the details that most new restaurants face.
“We retained our menu from New York almost completely,” she says, “and we were surprised at how easy it was to get the same ingredients down here. The only difference is that we always used to carry Maine lobster, which we have replaced with local crab and shrimp.”
The hardest obstacle for the Kabloutis to overcome was winning clearance to get the building itself up and running. Due to their proximity to residential areas and being in a flood plain, the site permits were difficult to obtain, adding another year to what was initially only a six-month construction job. None of those setbacks seem to phase Kablouti, who is happy to have finally relocated to the North Carolina coast.
“I think this is one of the best places in the country to be a business owner,” she emphasizes, “because it is such an amazing combination of beautiful things and economic diversity.”
But even the most contrasting markets have their competition, especially the restaurant industry near Wrightsville Beach, a fact that Kablouti breezes right past.
“This is no one-horse town. I believe that each restaurant here has its own style, its own integrity, and with the population boom around here, it is really not our intention to crowd anyone else out,” she maintains.
While Kablouti takes a hands-on approach to the opening of the restaurant and training of her staff, it seems that she has a laissez-faire philosophy about what happens thereafter. “It’s not about me. It’s about the customers, if they’re enjoying themselves and getting a good meal,” she insists, “and if everyone is doing their job, as I trust that they do, it’s like a party every day.”
So far the party hasn’t stopped, opening to rave reviews and a full reservation book from day one. Yet the Kabloutis’ long-term goals are not to maintain the frenetic pace that they know comes with the territory in Wrightsville Beach summers.
“We really want to be a neighborhood [eatery], like back in the city. When the tourists are gone, we look forward to taking care of our regulars and slowing it down a bit,” she sighs, adding, “it is nice when you don’t feel like you have to prove yourself every single day, and people know what to expect when they walk in the door.”
As for the idea of expanding to other locations in Wilmington, the vivacious owner throws her head back and laughs. “This is it—this is our last shot. We hope the kids may want to take over when we retire and keep it in the family.”
With its welcoming staff and friendly atmosphere, Rafealla’s definitely has staying power—and the capacity to become not just another new face, but a Wilmington institution.
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