She was 'princess pretty' and she was all mine for that moment. She was the kind of girl everyone wanted to be around, and she was the kind that if she was with me for even a drink that night, then everyone was gonna know about it.
Obliging me with only the slightest sign of interest she asked, "If you've been in this town for so long," her eyes shrinking to examine my face, to await the answer, "then where the hell have you been hiding?" I looked away, seeking some sort of truth in the moment, even wondering that question myself as the silence grew and passed.
I don't fear those quiet moments, people start to listen when they finally shut up.
I focused my attention on her and I offered up the only answer I knew to be true, "only the wild can see the wild."
Sometimes you need to step away to remember why you do it all in the first place. Austin was that for me, a few days to breathe new air, to laugh, to get lost, and to feel lucky for where I am.
I’m living the dream I’ve long chased - creating spaces with stories, rebuilding when they fall, & finding new places to call home.
This dream isn’t restful tho; it’s a grind that never ever really stops.
Long nights. Heavy thoughts. My world is always in motion.
So now I’m trying to keep my head open, remind myself daily to be grateful, appreciate good company, and keep finding time to actually live a little.
Instead of throwing up vinyl on the front glass, we went the traditional route - paint. @qualityhandmade stepped away from custom chopper and motorcycle builds to bring his painting brand @patinastyles into the mix, taking the designs I developed for Tall Boy and hand-painting them in a way that feels like they’ve been here since ’81.
We wanted the glass to carry the same soul as the old American bars, businesses and streets that inspire us - not something temporary or mass-produced.
Every letter, every rose, every line is done by hand.
The murals inside are still being completed as we continue the remodel, but the outside already tells the story we wanted - authentic, timeless, and built to last.
📸: @lizdzurophoto
Life’s been a trip lately • Juggling the bar, chasing deadlines, and - for maybe the first time in my life - truly trying to find balance.
Opening my eyes, my ears, and my heart to new possibilities. Allowing myself to be vulnerable again. Allowing myself to feel again.
It’s been a year since I closed Tough Times. Years since I lost The OG. Survival mode since 2020 - but now I’m fighting to build again, brick by brick, day by day. Years of learning who I am without everything I once thought defined me.
I moved my daughter into her dorm, watching as she grows into herself. I’ve been leaning on my friends; Letting people show up for me; Letting others take over. It’s teaching me how to grow into a better man - not just a busier one.
I carried so much weight these past months I thought I’d break. Maybe I did break. I’m not healed yet, but I am something new - something stronger. And now, I can finally see the other side.
Tall Boy is next. Still a work in progress. But so am I.
Lately, I’ve had to relearn that the days we don’t choose may affect us, but they don’t define us.
It’s how we react that shapes the days.
Joy isn’t always loud - sometimes it hides in the ordinary:
the paint on our walls,
the people at our table,
the choices we make when no one is watching.
Our motives and our motivations,
whether whispered or on display.
The things that hardened us can soften.
That which molded us can break.
I’m learning it’s less about waiting for the perfect moment, and more about making the moment perfect with what we have.
Here’s to choosing color over grey,
presence over distraction,
and hope over hesitation.
I never made a big announcement; I suppose maybe I still needed to find my voice and I know I needed to understand the rhythm of my new home.
I’m in another new city & now I’m taking on Whistle Stop to reimagine it and to more specifically return it to its roots.
Back to 1981. Back to its original name.
From a guy who worked tirelessly to kill bottle-service douchebaggery in Fort Lauderdale 20 years ago with The Brick & 15 West and build the current blueprint for the cool kids n’ misfits neighborhood bar.
As the creator of Radio (Miami Beach), Wynwood Diner, Better Days (Brickell), The O.G. (Delray Beach), Tough Times (Pompano Beach), Mount Pleasant Vintage (Vancouver), and more…
I’ve earned anything I’ve ever had the hard way - by showing up, building with intention, and letting the work speak for itself. This story of mine is about to once again become all of yours.
This isn’t another comeback story. It’s a continuation. And it’s only the beginning.
#WeNeverRest #SinceForever #TallBoyBoca
Thank you to everyone that has reached out & helped out these last 3 weeks 🤝; & for all of you that haven't let's please keep it that way after you witness what I do next. 🔪
