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Dave’s Taverna: Now
Here’s
But the new Dave’s Downtown Taverna is one heck of a step for downtown revitalization. The former little Greek food place with great food is now one of the most stylish, creative restaurants in the city. He Gets It Dave Miller owns it. “Hey, it’s the hero of downtown,” I said shaking his hand. “The hero, the hero,” he shouted from the end of his new marble-topped bar. He was mocking me a bit, but he enjoyed the praise. Because Dave Miller knows how damn hard it has been to keep his business downtown. Moving the restaurant to its renovated digs just a couple of doors down Main Street took a tremendous amount of determination. “Sheer will,” he said. “The sheer will to see this happen downtown.” The cocky, boisterous owner defiantly has raised the bar of what is expected downtown. Hopefully, other business leaders will realize it is no longer acceptable to dust off a dingy room and place a cardboard sign outside. Perhaps others will open businesses that will become destinations in their own right, just as Dave’s has quickly become. A typical lunch rush now includes a family of four, two high-powered business leaders, three couples out for a bite, the usual cadre of lawyers who have been eating lunch at Dave’s everyday for years. Clearly, the word is out, and people are now coming downtown … just to come to Dave’s. They are not disappointed. “You walk in the door here,” Miller said, “and see the passion.” A Great Place The two-story building has rough brick walls with wood and brass accents. The plumbing, electrical and ductwork is fashionably exposed. Upstairs seating is a treat, overlooking the new bar. Skylights allow light to pour into the room. Miller opened without fanfare a couple of weeks ago, and the place has been slammed ever since. The staff admits they weren’t quite prepared. “We crashed and burned a couple of times,” veteran server Elaine Anderson said. The restaurant and menu are both larger than the old place, but the great food is the same. The beer is cold and well priced. And now there is a bar with mixed drinks! Remember Norm from the sitcom “Cheers”? Watch out, Dave, I’m on my way! It Works The most important thing that Dave’s Downtown Taverna does for Harrisonburg is prove that downtown revitalization works. Finally, Calhoun’s has a competitor that will help draw customers. This is the secret recipe of downtown revitalization. The more effort that is made, the more people will choose to come. The trend has begun. A second downtown coffee shop, The Daily Grind, recently opened, albeit on a smaller scale. I receive a lot of letters from readers who say downtown revitalization will never work. But all over the country, successful downtowns prove that axiom wrong. The common thread is investors working with a city to produce an appealing destination. Recent civic meetings to discuss the downtown are a step in the right direction. It may soon yield meaningful results, but in the meantime, we should be for the few things we do have. Dave’s is a significant addition. Sure, the novelty of Dave’s eventually will wear off. But remember, this is summer, when 15,000 paying customers are not around, and the place is still busy. Dave’s message is the same as that in the movie “Field Of Dreams”: If you build it, they will come. But just build it right. It takes more than a cardboard sign. Andrew Scot Bolsinger can be reached at asbolsin@dnronline.com | ||||
