Today we’d like to introduce you to Dani Davis.
Hi Dani, it’s an 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 backstories with our readers?
I moved to Saint Louis from Moberly, MO in 2003 to attend the University of Missouri-St. Louis. I graduated in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice. I was offered a position with the City as a Victim’s Advocate but didn’t want to start, what I thought was going to be my life career, right out of college. Since I worked for a law firm all through college, I wanted to do something fun where I could meet some people, be social, and make money. So, I applied for a cocktail server job at Van Goghz Martini Bar. I started off working 1-2 nights a week and loved it. It wasn’t too long before I was bartending and taking multiple shifts a week. Then within a year, I became the bar manager. After managing for 4-5 years, the original owners sold the business to a couple of new people. I was going to leave and find work elsewhere and try to go back into social services, but the new owners talked me into staying. So many things changed and I wasn’t happy.
After a year and a half of watching what used to be a thriving, classy neighborhood institution go downhill, the new owners constantly had been asking me to buy the business. I had always said “no” because I had never ever wanted to own a bar and honestly never thought it was possible. I knew nothing about owning a business. However, after having been working at THIS bar for 7 years, I knew how to run THIS bar. The place had become like a second home and family to me over those years and I couldn’t see it run into the ground anymore. So, one night, one of the owners told me “You should just buy this place.”
I said, “no.” Then I went out to the bar where a couple of my regulars were sitting (they are real estate investors) and told them about the conversation I’d just had with my boss, and they said, “go tell him you’ll take it.” So, I went back to my boss and said, “How much do you want?” And that was that.
My partners and I bought the place and started making the changes needed to take it back to its original identity.
Soon after, I realized that we were in need of a re-brand. Martini bars just weren’t “in” anymore. People were gravitating more towards craft cocktails and the craft beer scene was taking off. After about a year or so of running the business, we were contacted by “Bar Rescue” to do the show. Since I was already planning on re-branding at the end of the year, it couldn’t have come at a better time. Plus, free national promotion! No Brainer!
We went through 9 months of interviews and they finally decided on us. After what was probably one of the most stressful weeks of my life, we were re-branded to a craft cocktail bar specializing in “pressed cocktails” and we are now Crafted. We have been going strong ever since.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s definitely not been a smooth road. We are located in a very old South City building, so there are always expensive repairs that are needed and just general upkeep. Plus, when I bought the business, all of the equipment was already at least 7 years old and it’s bought used to begin with. Hiring staff is always a struggle, especially during this pandemic. We’ve been broken into several times over the years, and even been held up at gun-point. But we have always overcome all the struggles. Constantly changing and trying our best to stay relevant and keep up with the trends of the industry.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are a neighborhood craft cocktail bar that specializes in “pressed cocktails”. Where we create a cocktail pour it over fresh seasonal ingredients and they steep in a French press. Then poured into a cocktail glass at the table. We also offer a number of other craft cocktails. We serve “upscale” bar food in the evenings and serve a great brunch on Sundays with $20 mimosa pitchers and seasonal brunch cocktails.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
There are sooooo many things I wish I’d known when I first started out. But unfortunately, they were things I had to learn myself by trial and error. And I have made several mistakes and I still make mistakes. But I truly believe that I have learned from them and they have made me more successful to this day. My advice to someone starting out would be DON’T do it! Unless you are willing to be on call 24 hours a day, know your business inside and out, and be able to do every job in that place. Owning a small business is hard. It depends on you to survive and thrive. You have to always be willing and able to step up and fill in wherever and whenever needed. Expect the unexpected, always. And strive for consistency.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: craftedstl.com
- Instagram: @craftedstl
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/craftedstl
- Twitter: @craftedstl
Image Credits
Drew Thompson
Dani Davis
