Excellent Customer Service with a Side of Jazz Music: Meet "Billy" of the Nomad Bar

When customers walk into The Nomad Bar, they usually see William Cerasari, known as “Billy,” behind the polished wooden bar. With a nod and a slight smile, he greets you as he mixes cocktails and pours microbrews.  “I am enlightened every time I come to work,’’ said the Salesianum School graduate. “People seem so much more intelligent after a few alcoholic beverages.”

At age 21 he answered an ad in the News Journal for a bartending position on the Lady Christina cruise ship. That was 32 years ago and although the ship no longer exists, Billy is still pouring.  “It seemed like a good way to make extra cash,” said Billy, 53. Today, he is a familiar face to long-time residents, who have known him from his many years in the Wilmington bar scene.

“Billy came with the bricks,” said Linda Vandever, who co-owns The Nomad Bar along with her husband, Dave Vandever. The couple spent 18 months renovating the space before opening the bar in 2011. When everything was ready, Dave knew he wanted Billy serving the drinks. “A friend said he’s the guy you want,” said Dave.

Billy said he has always enjoyed the live music that came with bartending.  The Nomad Bar, where there is never a cover, features talented jazz musicians, along with performers who play blues, reggae, and funk. The music draws a diverse group of folks of all races and ages. For upcoming events, visit their Facebook page. 

The Nomad Bar

905 N. Orange St. Wilmington, DE 19801

(302) 547-1912

Owners: Dave and Linda Vandever

By Adriana Camacho-Church ACCpen1@gmail.com

Downtown Visions Contributing Writer

Your City, Your Park, Help it Come to Life!

Photo Courtesy of Spaceboy Clothing

Humble Park at the corner of 4th & Shipley is about to not be so "humble" anymore! Thanks to a collaboration between The City of Wilmington, Downtown Visions and Sanchez of Spaceboy Clothing, the park will soon be filled with vendors, art and entertainment! 

The press is excited for what is to come, and the park is already receiving attention from Technical. ly Delaware and The News Journal! The very first event is a comedy show, scheduled for August 25th at 7 PM and we need YOUR help to prepare! Join your fellow neighbors and business owners in cleaning up the space for everyone to enjoy! We will be meeting on Saturday, August 12th from 9 AM- 1 PM. Feel free to let us know you are coming through our Facebook Event and be sure to spread the word by inviting your friends. This is your chance to be a part of the renaissance happening in your city!

Each future event at the park will not only provide incredible entertainment, it will be giving back to those who need it most. A hot dog stand ran by the Wilmington-based Rick VanStory Resource Center, a recovery-oriented peer center for people with psychiatric disabilities will provide food for sale for each of the shows. Additionally, each of the shows will be free to the public, and have a fundraising effort on-site for a special cause. The show on the 25th will raise funds for Ramona Robinson of Wilmington, who is battling breast cancer and is a family member of Sanchez of Spaceboy.

Have an idea for the park, or want to help contribute to its positive future that is going to affect hundreds of Wilmingtonians? Let us know!

Click the image above to watch a short video provide by Delaware Online on all of the progress made by the generous volunteers!

Follow Spaceboy on Facebook and Instagram

Post by Julia Mason of Enthusiasm Lab

Meet Coffee Scientist Joey Lopes of Coffee Mode

When Joey Lopes makes a cup of coffee he does it with precision and finesse. “For a (regular) cup of coffee, we use 30 grams of freshly ground coffee, and 425 grams of water,” said Lopes, 25. “Milk is a personal choice, but if I were to prepare a customer’s coffee I would use approximately 2 ounces.”

“He’s a coffee scientist,” said Ben Cordova owner of Coffee Mode on 9th and Market. Before the coffee bar opened on October 2016, Cordova chose Lopes to manage the high-quality coffee bar located in the lobby of the Citizens Bank building. Lopes gets his barista expertise working two years at LOMA Cafe, reading, and interviewing coffee bar owners. He is one of three baristas at Coffee Mode.

“I enjoy serving something good and beautiful to someone,” he said. Coffee Mode embraces a coffee bar movement called third wave coffee that treats coffee as an artisan or craft beverage. A Cortado is one of Lopes’s favorite cups of coffee to make. It is made with a shot of espresso cut with an equal part of hot milk. Served in a Gibraltar glass, the beverage looks like a dessert with white steam milk swirls on top, but the rich coffee aroma gives it away.

Lopes, who a year ago moved from Maryland to Wilmington, said coffee bars are invaluable to the city of Wilmington because they offer an informal social venue for community and cultural enrichment. “We have meaningful conversations with customers about politics, technology, and world issues,” he said.

Most of Coffee Mode’s customers are lawyers or business people who stop by in the morning or later in the day for a break. When a frequent customer walks in, Lopes knows what to serve without exchanging a word. Just a nod and a smile is all it takes, he said.

Besides specialty coffees, which are sourced from Elixir Coffee Company in PA, Coffee Mode offers organic teas, smoothies, ciders, ice brew coffee, and fresh baked goods-some gluten-free.

Coffee Mode

919 N Market St
Wilmington DE 19801
(302) 660-1203

Owner: Ben Cordova

Follow Coffee Mode on Facebook

By Adriana Camacho-Church ACCpen1@gmail.com

Downtown Visions Contributing Writer

Next Fab Wilmington's New Playground for Creatives

Creatives rejoice! Your exclusive clubhouse is now right in your backyard and offers a multi platform innovative space for you to make your wildest ideas a reality!

Have you ever had a brilliant idea but wasn't sure how to execute it, or where to start?

Next Fab is the answer. Newly opened at 503 N Tatnall Street, Wilmington, DE, Next Fab has all the tools you need from creating your piece to getting it on shelves and in front of the public.

Offering eight unique membership options, Next Fab has something for everyone. From the individual who wants to dip their toes in the water and explore a particular trade or class, to the full-blown corporation that needs a creative space and the newest technology available. You can even bring your visionary child, ages  10-17 to set their imagination on fire!

When you join, you have access to all three Next Fab locations. The one in Wilmington specifically offers 3D printing and scanning, design software, electronics, laser cutting, engraving and a state-of-the-art woodworking facility.  The additional facilities also offer textiles, jewelry making, metalworking and 2D printing and photography. Feeling a bit overwhelmed, but know you have a stellar idea? They can even make the products for you!

What separates Next Fab from the competition is their team. Comprised of life-long tradesmen and women, their human knowledge resource cannot be beat. They are willing to drill down the process and make it as easy as possible for you to make your dream project a reality. 

What we love? The Next Fab team and members have collaborated on some extraordinary projects to change the world.  From creating specialized helmets to deaf/hearing impaired assistive devices, solving current issues with futuristic technology is happening at Next Fab. While touring the facility we even got to see some 3D printed "whistles" that are used by the paralyzed to communicate.

Next Fab has already started making an impact in Wilmington, helping create the Wilmington Green Box Kiosk. 

We can't wait to see what the ingenious individuals of our city come up with next at Next Fab!!

Check out the latest items created at Next Fab.

Learn more about joining Next Fab and their classes.

Follow Next Fab on Facebook.

Follow Next Fab on Instagram

Post by Julia Mason of Enthusiasm Lab

Downtown Business Spotlight, Dave Bart, of Jerry's Artarama

Dave Bart is pictured in orange on the right, with his incredible team. 

If Dave Bart is not pricing stock when a customer walks into Jerry’s Artarama then he could be unloading trucks or hosting a local art event. The 54-year-old store manager describes himself as an octopus that reaches out beyond the discount art-supply store.

Besides donating easels, brushes or frames to the Creative Vision Factory, which provides therapy through art, the shop hosts or helps advertise local festivals, events, and programs, like the People’s Festival, the Unity Rally at the Jewish Community Center, and Wilmington’s monthly Art Loop.

“We are growing and will continue to grow as the city matures,” said the University of Delaware graduate, who grew up in the state. “I was here before the Blue Rocks Stadium was built and before the Riverfront transformed from oil tanks and brown fields.’’

In 2013 Jerry’s Artarama opened on Market Street. It is part of a specialty art-supply chain founded in 1968 by Jerry Goldstein. There are sixteen stores nationwide. The Delaware location is the only art-supply store in the downtown area. Its customers range from beginners to well known artists. A portion of the shop’s business comes from the sale of art kits to Delaware College of Art and Design students.

Art students and professional artists work at Jerry’s. Donna Cusano, 51, an award-winning artist and Jerry’s assistant manager, says she uses her skills on the job every day. If a customer is not sure which paintbrush to buy, she is there to help. “It depends on what the customer’s goals and priorities are,” said Cusano.

The store is open seven days a week. It offers live and online demonstrations and promotions as well as professional framing and shipping. “If we promise you something, we’ll give it to you,” said Bart. “If we don’t have it we’ll order it.”

Follow Jerry's Artarama on Facebook

By Adriana Camacho-Church ACCpen1@gmail.com

Downtown Visions Contributing Writer