Café, Restaurant + Piano Lounge Fronts Progressive Real Estate Brokerage; Timed with Bellevue Growth
Today B-Bar—a café, restaurant, and piano lounge located at 10237 Main Street in downtown Bellevue—officially opened to the public. The adjacent but independent gathering space will front the Eastside flagship branch of Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty (RSIR) and be operated by Joe Vilardi, a 25-year veteran restauranteur the Zagat-rated Bis on Main.
Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty is a fast-growing residential brokerage and leader in luxury property sales. The mixed-use facility is timed with an extraordinary growth trajectory amidst recent economic news, including Amazon’s announcement that it will employ 25,000 new recruits in downtown Bellevue, as well as some relaxations on prior business meeting restrictions from Governor Jay Inslee’s office due to COVID-19.
“I believe Eastside consumers will be eager to experience the B-Bar—a café by day and a vibrant supper club at night,” said Vilardi. “We’ll deliver the same quality dining service, craft cocktails and fine wines we’re known for at Bis on Main but with a hipper, more modern vibe and a grand piano to boot.”
Vilardi is operating the neighborhood café daily from 8am to 4pm, which will offer specialty coffee drinks and B-bites, a collection of convenient grab-and-go menu items, in a safely spaced and enjoyable living room environment. Dinner service will also be offered Tuesday through Saturday, from 5pm to 10pm, with curated menu items by Chef Jako Smith, also of Bis on Main, and festive specials such as Cristal champagne and caviar.
While boutique in scale, the B-Bar can incorporate indoor/outdoor retail spaces that can be expanded into two contiguous gathering spaces. This venue can also double as private dining rooms for up to 42 guests or for special events.
“The B-Bar melds an organic retro style with modern touches, and the undercurrent running through it all, the true heartbeat of the space, is music,” said Shanna Gatanis, the interior designer and Principal of DS15 based in New York City and Florida. “I look forward to immersing into our third office and collaborative space to meet with our West Coast clients.”
Gatanis describes Bellevue as a global gateway on the rise. While much of the city is comprised of commercial strip malls and large shopping centers, Old Main Street affords a more historic and pedestrian-friendly experience that is not replicated anywhere else in the area, but also presented challenges for zoning and parking. A private/public partnership with the City of Bellevue’s planning department and coordination with Bellevue-based Baylis Architects accommodated the adaptive reuse of the historic building, with over a year of planning and development by Goudy Construction and nearly $2 million invested in delivering the venue, technology, furniture and fixtures. A combination of offsite parking for staff and valet parking operated by Bis on Main for the rear parking lot does provide for drive-in guests. However, Vilardi notes an increase of walk-in residents and rideshare users has actually reduced parking demand over the years. The approximately 3,600-square-foot main level includes a fireside brokers lounge and executive offices for RSIR and Lysa Catlin of Caliber Home Loans. The lower levels comprise another 7,000 square feet of broker offices, touchdown desks for day use, access to broker care staff and meeting rooms for clients.
The B-Bar was named after its host city, but also speaks to a more authentic sense of “being”, according to Stacy Jones, Chief People Officer of RSIR and a visionary for the retail/office hybrid. Among the many eclectic art installations are portraits of influential persons and vinyl records to be signed by noted guests over time. The B-Bar and common areas are currently featuring works by Pacific Northwest native artist Jennifer Chambers, who interprets nature within her paintings and strives to interlace movement with serenity through bold and abstract forms.
“We were also inspired by the B-side of records, where musicians play their most authentic works,” adds Jones. “We want the B-Bar to be a place where guests and clients can be their authentic, original and unapologetic true selves. In the challenging times of late, it will be refreshing to come home to B-Bar and start new conversations, along with enjoying some exceptional bites and libations while doing so.”
RSIR has been an industry pioneer in developing next-generation real estate offices with existing branches in Belltown, Bainbridge Island, Madison Park, Kirkland, Mercer Island and Bellevue. Celebrating their 10th anniversary with the global real estate network, RSIR is a leader in luxury and has expanded sales volumes by 50% year-over-year in 2020 and is targeting $2.5 billion in sales by the year’s end.
“We are proud to open the B-Bar and Bellevue branch office to better serve our brokers and our valued clients on the Eastside and beyond,” said Dean Jones, President and CEO of RSIR. “With just 75 brokers but counting, our Bellevue branch is already the top-performing branch office for RSIR throughout Puget Sound. We believe the potential for growth is boundless representing resales, new construction projects and referrals around the world.”
The official ribbon-cutting and grand opening ceremony will occur today at 2:45pm on location and will be streamed on Facebook Live. Among local executives, special guests will include City of Bellevue Mayor Lynne Robinson; Deputy Mayor Jared Nieuwenhuis; Shanna Gatanis of DS15; and Brad Nelson, Chief Marketing Office for Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates, LLC.
For more information visit: www.BBarBellevue.com.