These Coast businesses wanted to renovate in downtime. So they hired local artists.
During the past few weeks of the coronavirus pandemic, many businesses and homeowners on the Coast have used their time in isolation productively to make improvements and remodel.
A few Coast business owners, however, were inspired to use their creativity or work with artists to revamp their places of business with unique flair before reopening.
The Juke Joint in Ocean Springs has proudly turned its bar top into a collaborative masterpiece.
Owner Robert McDonald said he had initially just planned to refinish and repaint it, but wanted to give a nod to the “eclectic and art-filled community of Ocean Springs.”
Juke Joint regulars Matt Stebly, Dylan Sartin, Ben Spangler, Ben Prisk, Mitchell Widas and house bartender Brittney Coblentz all painted a portion of the bar.
“We sectioned it off, and I told them do whatever they liked, to paint what makes them think of the Juke Joint,” said McDonald.
“It looks phenomenal. I couldn’t be happier with how it came out.”
In fact, he plans to get a tattoo of a Magnolia and crawfish inspired by the bar-top design of Mitchell Widas, a tattoo artist at Twisted Anchor Tattoo Gallery.
The Juke Joint reopened May 22.
“We cannot wait to have our customers back,” said McDonald. “At the Juke Joint, we always say, ‘you come as a guest, but you leave as family.’”
Sophi’s Mediterranean Café in Biloxi, currently open for curbside and carryout, has been doing ongoing renovations.
“After realizing how long the dining room couldn’t be used, I started to get creative,” said owner Adair Jones.
“What started out being just a new paint job ended up being a completely redesigned dining room, bar area, entryway and even restroom.”
Guests may feel as if they’ve entered a new world when they step inside Sophi’s.
Jones pulled ideas from many countries on the Mediterranean, creating a style that represents the feel of the coastlines of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
“Arches, Mediterranean color palettes, stenciling, chandeliers and more can be what to expect when walking in the front door of Sophi’s,” he said.
Dave and Anne Marie Guille, owners of A Southern Bagel Company in Long Beach, used their down time to repaint and decorate the exterior of their business.
“One of the largest complaints we had was that our building was not easy to find, as it was a pale blue building set back alone pretty far off the street,” said Dave.
“Anne loves the beach and is very fond of New Orleans, so we decided to combine the two and make an eye-popping business that was able to be seen before it was passed by.”
Anne studied art at William Carey University and used her training to devise a beachy color scheme of bright blue, lime green trim and dark purple accents reminiscent of the colorful houses of the French Quarter.
When they reopened May 2, they had wonderful feedback from returning customers.
“Anne likes to call them our ‘bagel family’ as everyone is special to us and we wouldn’t be here without them,” said Dave.