“The trend really became popular in Japan. You go in, hang out, have a beer or coffee and listen to vinyl,” said one partner in the venture, called Bad Neighbors.
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Work is underway to develop a leased space at 511 Congress St., in Portland’s Arts District, into a “listening bar” featuring an extensive collection of vinyl records along with cocktails and higher-end diner food.
“When I started thinking about this space, I started beefing up my own record collection a couple of years ago — eBay, flea markets, local record shops, friends,” said Nicole Costas.
Costas is partners in the venture, called Bad Neighbors, with David Aceto and Dennis Gaines.
The three are also partners in an arcade and cocktail bar business called Arcadia, established in 2014 at 504 Congress St., across from Bad Neighbors.
Space and layout
Andre Rossignol with CORE represented the tenants and Peter Gwilym, Vince Ciampi and Joe Porta of Porta & Co. represented the landlord. Gwilym said that office and retail space are still available in the building.
“As their broker, our focus was finding a spot in the Arts District of Portland,” said Rossignol. “Their team really believes in this area as an arts-and-entertainment destination, and being near the State Theatre, Cross Insurance Arena, MECA [Maine College of Art & Design], the Portland Museum of Art, Merrill Auditorium and Portland Stage makes it a strong fit for their concepts.”
He continued, “Since the new venture is a listening bar, we paid close attention to the space, layout, and room configuration when evaluating options.”
Japanese trend
Bad Neighbors leverages the partners’ experience with Arcadia plus Gaines’ background as a sound engineer.
Costas explored the concept for a couple of years.
“The trend really became popular in Japan,” she said. “You go in, hang out, have a beer or coffee and listen to vinyl.”
After looking at similar spots in New York and other cities, they decided the idea was a go.
Work is underway in the 4,500-square-foot space. The front area of about 3,200 square feet will seat 75 to 100 people. The 22-foot ceiling provides excellent acoustics, she noted. Installations include rock wool walls.
The build-out team includes Portland construction company O'Brien Wood & Iron, led by Mat O’Brien, and Portland architect Chelsea Lipham. The three partners are doing much of the work themselves.
Pancakes all day
The aesthetics will be “traditional Americana,” leaning into the 1960s and 70s. Elevated diner food will include pancakes at any hour, soft-serve ice cream and French fries.
“We’re installing a 1950s gas stainless steel drip coffee maker that my great-grandfather had in his diner,” Costas said. “It’s a little piece of history.”
Financing for the project includes a Maine Community Bank loan and Arcadia revenue.
The location made sense from the managerial standpoint, allowing Costas to oversee both Bad Neighbors and Arcadia, she noted.
The goal is to open by April or May.
What makes vinyl attractive?
“We all need to unplug a little bit — and it feels warm and inviting,” said Costas. “Building something unique to the state that also fosters a strong sense of community is exactly the kind of work we love doing.”
