Today we’d like to introduce you to Alejandro Marin and Camilo Peña.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
The New Yorker Patio Bar started in a pretty organic way, a casual conversation Alejandro started with Walter Figeroa, one of the owners of the New Yorker Hotel in Miami, back in 2018. That day Alejandro was part of a production crew, working on a TV show that was using the New Yorker Hotel as a location for their production.
At the beginning the talk was only about using the beautiful patio of the hotel to do a weekly or monthly gathering of friends who love electronic music, to share a drink and some tracks over a DJ deck, something they used to do back in the day at another spot in Miami.
Slowly the conversation evolved into the possibility of opening a full-fledged Bar at the Hotel, at that point, Alejandro thought about Camilo, a good friend with a lot of experience in the industry both in Las Vegas and in Miami. by then Camilo was working with a big Club in the city and in a way was a little bit skeptic about the idea, sure bit of a crazy idea to open a Bar in Miami, an ocean of nightlife, with two partners who have no clue about the business, but after a little insistence, he finally accepted to swing by to meet Walter and to take a look at the place. They connected immediately, Camilo loved the place, as everybody does, the magic is undeniable, a small hidden shiny garden, groomed with the love only a family can provide to a place they feel like home, talking here about Walter and his wife Shirley, another key member of this project.
After this meeting, all the pieces were pretty much in place. The shared vision of opening a place focused on serving a local crowd, a place without pretentions, honest and totally emphatic on being real, on creating a sense of belonging and on supporting local artists and the community in general, and of course a focus on offering alternative musical narratives, a bit out of what could be considered the mainstream of Miami nightlife scene.
With the partnership ready, Camilo in charge of the Bar, Walter, and Shirley giving financial and logistic support, Alejandro on a charge of communications and marketing, a little help from friends and family, and betting on character instead of trends we opened to the public in April 2018. A lot of hard work later we still here, enjoying the ride and loving what we do and what we have, music, friends, family. Cheers!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Obviously no, the start is always the hardest part, weeks and weeks of few people coming, lots of BBQ, and beer, sharing lonely evenings, a bit of nervousness but also a lot of faith, the support of each other to keep up, slowly you start noticing people coming back and becoming friends, and more people coming and loving the place, loving the music, loving the team, and that gives you the strength to believe and work harder, cause to open a business is that a lot of hard work, forget about 40 hours a week and be ready for 24/7 sort of regime. Next time you have two days off on a row you are gonna feel lucky. Then one day you start noticing the numbers falling in place, the people talking about the bar, the floor packed, and you know you did it. Not that you are gonna be able to stop working hard, a garden requires a lot of love if you want the flowers to keep blooming.
The secret is teamwork if you have a good team, people who complement each other, who commit to their part you are gonna make it, is not easy, there is always going to be tense moments, but if you have the right team, with the right talents, the right personalities, if you are able to water down egos a little bit to put the project in the first place if you are willing to be consistent and don’t give up you are gonna make it.
New Yorker Patio Bar – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are a local bar in Miami MiMo District, mom and pop sort of business, lots of character, lots of love for music, art, and people. I guess somehow we are known for being a place where you can feel at home. We care about people. We are proud about the sense of belonging we have build up with the partners, with the crew, and with the people who come to the bar. The sense of “friends and family” the warmness of the place.
What makes us different is perhaps the fact of being so small as a business, this is not corporate entertainment, is real, real people doing what they love, and real people enjoying a place where they can simply be whoever they truly are, diversity, respect, friendliness, and lots of love is what set us apart.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success if feeling good about yourself, about your time and place and what you are doing with it. Success in this context is not absolute but a balance sheet, you always have things on both sides of the scale.
Contact Info:
- Address: 6500 Biscayne Blvd Miami Fl 33138
- Website: https://www.newyorkermiami.com/happening
- Instagram: @newyorkermiami
- Facebook: https://business.facebook.com/newyorkerpatiobar/?business_id=779901742205772&ref=bookmarks
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/new-yorker-patio-bar-miami
Image Credit:
all images ig @plpd_miami
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