With microcinema on hold, Wilmington bar owner fights for next development in growing area

A proposed "microcinema" on Castle Street isn't going to happen as quickly as initially planned, but one of the men behind the idea said he's still intent on bringing a trio of new bars to a historic Wilmington corridor that in recent years has lacked them.

On Friday, Anthony Durrett, owner of the Sip N Chill lounge at 614 Castle St., which opened in March, had a ribbon-cutting for the bar organized by the Downtown Business Alliance.

Some 50 or more members of the community packed the sidewalk for the well-attended ceremony, including representatives of the DBA and of Wilmington Downtown, Inc., as well as Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo and Wilmington City Councilwoman Salette Andrews.

"Wilmington needs to Chill," Saffo joked during the ribbon-cutting, before telling Durrett to "make a lot of money."

"Small businesses are the life blood of this community," Saffo said.

"It has been a challenge," Durrett said of his first two months in business, partly because Castle Street hasn't typically been a destination for bargoers. Until changes to the zoning code a couple of years ago, bars on Castle Street were not allowed.

Sitting beneath a neon sign in Sip N Chill that reads "Good Vibes Only," Durrett said he's had success with "sip and paint" nights, during which bargoers work on art projects.

He's booked singers and live music, and wants to start karaoke and game nights. The bar offers beer, wine and mixed drinks. Hours are 1 p.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday, and 5 p.m.-midnight Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday.

"I want a diverse crowd," Durrett said. "It should be that way." Having a "community lounge," which is how he describes Sip N Chill, "I think it serves a need."

Durrett, one of several Black business owners on Castle Street, said he had to change gears after initial plans for a proposed "microcinema" across Castle Street from Sip N Chill fell through. The Velvet Room microcinema, a 50-seat theater and bar, had been planned for the former Second Skin vintage shop.

Work had begun, Durrett said, when he and a former business parter, Ian Simpson, parted ways. They raised $15,000 as part of an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign that is now closed, falling short of a $25,000 goal, but it wasn't enough to complete renovations on the space.

"It put a damper on things," Durrett said. "It cost me."

He's now working on opening the Hide-A-Way private lounge across the street from Sip N Chill in the former Cape Fear Playhouse, something he said should happen in the next few weeks. It will be a members-only club where patrons can smoke cigars, Durrett said.

He still wants to do a microcinema and bar in the building space he continues to lease, but that will be part of what Durrett calls "my third phase." He said he's currently trying to raise money for the project.

After years as an "arts and antiques" district, Castle Street's identity is changing. Longtime Wilmington antiques dealer Michael Moore died in April, and his shop, the last antiques store on Castle, is going out of business.

Developer James Goodnight Jr., who helped renovate the restaurants Seabird downtown and Olivero at Third and Castle, purchased five properties on the 500 block of Castle last year.

Changing Castle: Why Wilmington's 'antiques district' is morphing into something else

Between the upscale Olivero and the restaurant On Thyme at 10th and Castle, the street now has nearly a dozen businesses that identify as bars, restaurants or coffee shops, including an expanded Wilmington Wine at Seventh and Castle streets and the popular Luna Caffe at Sixth and Castle.

Mixed in are a number of Black-owned barbershops, Howard's seafood and convenience store, Gravity Records, the Kids Making It woodworking nonprofit and numerous other businesses.

Residential construction on Castle Street, including the large Midcastle development at 12th and Castle, will bring dozens if not hundreds of new residents to the area, something that could be a boon to businesses on the stretch.

"We are surrounded by neighbors," Durrett said.

He said he tries to support other businesses on the street, and hopes that other businesses and residents will be supportive of what he's trying to bring to Castle Street.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington bar owner plans more businesses for Castle Street