It’s honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
The Lion’s Den Hookah Café (TLDHC) is a Afrocentric / Caribbean themed hookah lounge located in South Daytona Beach, FL. Ideal for patrons 20 years of age and up, TLDHC offers a more adult alternative to hookah lounges frequented by only college-age customers. TLDHC is currently established in South Daytona, FL and managed by the business founders, Anthony L. Chapman II and Charles L Ivy also known as DOUGH and Chuck. The Lion’s Den is a small venue hookah lounge with huge vibes. The Lion’s Den Hookah Café is an intimate, home style venue featuring sofas and coffee tables, a book shelf for in shop reading and outside patio seating. The main goal of The Lion’s Den Hookah Café is to provide exemplary customer service to their clients in hopes to build a family like relationship that will intern generate repeat customers, which translates into revenue for the business. The mission of The Lion’s Den Hookah Café is to provide a comfortable environment, sometimes relaxing and sometimes energetic and stimulating, around which those who love hookah smoking, reading and sharing new ideas with new friends.
DOUGH: The Den, as it is efficiently called, was established in the spring of 2016. Myself (Anthony L Chapman II) and Charles Ivy came together, or “Linked Up Royally” as we say, with the goal of establishing a new safe, relaxing and enjoyable environment to smoke hookah. With hookah culture being on the rise in the black community back in 2016, we wanted to cultivate an experience unique for young black culture. From the time you walk in The Den and until you leave, we aim to create a more urban experience than the typical middle eastern themes. We feature live performances and DJs . The Lion’s Den Hookah Café also hosts a number of events such as art galleries, fashion shows, music showcases and our signature events like Puff and Paint, Drink Til You Drop, I Got The Mic and Soca Jungle.
In the first six months of business we stumble to find our footing. We tried everything we could think of to bring people through the doors. It seemed, at first, nothing was working. Later in the year we decided to host a hip-hop showcase to give up-and-coming artists, also more established artists a local platform to display their talents. The showcase was such a hit that my business partner Charles gave birth to the idea to host a monthly showcase which eventually turned into weekly showcases called “I Got The Mic”. The Lion’s Den Hookah Café has had the opportunity to host on the rise artist such as Ch$Ndala Tribe (Atlanta, GA), The Primetime Nino (Daytona Beach, FL), CROWN (Daytona Beach, FL), and 300bls of Guwop (Daytona Beach, FL).
The Lion’s Den Hookah Café is more than a hookah lounge. We plan and organize community events, raise awareness for social justice issues, and are involved in any way we can be in our community. The Den was born out of the concept of black empowerment and collective economics. Charles and I were still in college at the Great Bethune-Cookman University when we came up with the idea to start The Lion’s Den Hookah Café. Like I’ve said from day one, we want to shift the paradigm on ownership of black business. When the world thinks of young black males owning a business they typically think of barbershops, BBQ joints, cleaners, CD shops, and things of that nature. To be clear, there is nothing wrong with these businesses, we just want to show the youth that you can think outside the box and not be marginalized into owning a stereotypical business.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
DOUGH: Some of the challenges we’d faced over the years have been financial and physically getting people to come out. The Lion’s Den was started by us without any traditional loans. Charles and I both put up our own money, 3500 each, to bring The Den to fruition. Anytime you put your own money up for anything there will be some losses and by losses we mean lessons. There are a lot of lessons to be learned in a startup business.
Chuck: It was hard at first to get people out to The Den, but over time, as we established ourselves as the spot to be in Daytona, it became easier to get people out. When I started “I Got The Mic”, The Den became the best platform for local artists.
Give us a little background on you guys? Anything interesting we should know?
Mary (TLDHC Liaison): The Lion’s Den Hookah Café is owned and operated by Anthony L. Chapman II and Charles Ivy. The owners are often affectionately referred to as “The Smoking Lions”. Event staff is known as “Leon’s Pride”. In The Den, Anthony and Charles are known as DOUGH and Chuck. DOUGH is the older, more laid-back owner. You can catch him making hookahs and running the daily business of The Den. He is also a DJ/Producer that often spins on Island Vybz Fridays. DOUGH is originally from Fort Myers, FL and moved to Daytona Beach in 2005 to attend Bethune Cookman University. DOUGH is also of Bahamian descent. Chuck is the entertainer and promoter of The Den. Chuck is the hometown hero. Born and raised in Daytona, Chuck handles the promotion for The Den. Organizing and planning events is his specialty. Chuck is the more hype owner that can be seen mingling with patrons all the time. Chuck is an U.S. Army Veteran that served one tour in Afghanistan.
Pricing:
- Hookahs -$23
Contact Info:
- Address: The Lion’s Den Hookah Café 2281 S. Ridgewood Ave South Daytona, FL 32119
- Email: thelionsdenhookahcafe@gmail.com
- Website: SmokeRoyally.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelionsdenhookah @DoughBoydaChef x @The386Promoter
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Lions-Den-Hookah-Cafe-LLC-1563187200678408
Image Credits
Courtesy of The Lion’s Den Hookah Café, LLC
