Downtown Cary, already home to a cidery and multiple breweries, is getting a champagne bar.
RBF Champagne Bar is set to open at 210 E. Chatham St. this fall. The new concept across the street from Bond Brothers Beer Company will be located on the bottom floor of the restored Williams House, underneath Bull City Ciderworks and a&be Bridal. The bar will measure around 2,000 square feet with seating indoors and outdoors. Owner Tiffany Welton is planning to furnish RBF with couches, loveseats and chairs to encourage conversation in a relaxed atmosphere.
Check out our blog: It’s Cider Time in Cary
The bar will offer 12 to 15 options of champagne and sparkling wines, with about 10 to 12 white wine varieties and 10 to 12 red wines. RBF will also have a food menu, with bruschetta, charcuterie and dessert items. Food items will mainly be prepared offsite, Welton said. Wines will be sourced from local wineries as well as national and international women-run wineries.
Welton expects construction to begin on the space soon, following final approval from the Town of Cary. Local architecture firm New City Design is working on the project along with J.D. Beam.
The Williams House, dating to the 1930s, was restored by Cary real estate agency Chatham Street Commercial. The house was relocated from 318 E. Chatham St. to 210 E. Chatham St. and renovated into approximately 6,900 square feet of office and retail space across three floors.
Upfitting the space for RBF – which stands for “Resting Bitch Face” – includes building a bar and storage and prep area. Welton declined to disclose buildout costs.
Welton is placing a piano dating to 1900 in the bar for the option of live music. She also plans to host events in the space, including birthday parties, corporate parties and bachelorette parties. Welton might also hold events for customers of the bridal shop upstairs.
RBF’s décor is a marriage of comfortable and Mediterranean styles, Welton said. Many of the colors and materials used are inspired by the South of France.
“What I want is to have a champagne bar, but it’s almost a coffee shop,” she said. “I want people to come in and talk and connect and feel safe. I think there’s so much power in feeling heard and feeling validated. That’s what I’m trying to create here.”
Welton is self-funding the concept, with the addition of an online crowdfunding campaign through Fundable. The campaign’s goal is $40,000 and has currently raised about $9,000.
In the future, Welton is planning to expand the concept.
“Maybe to other cities along the East Coast too, but we’d definitely love to expand in the Triangle if other communities wanted it,” she said.
Working with a vineyard to create her own wine label is also a part of Welton’s plans.
Welton moved to the Triangle area from Phoenix in October 2021. Following a 20-year career in business development and leadership roles at biotech companies, she decided to venture out with her own concept in January after finding a hole in the local market.
“I noticed there were a lot of breweries and some bottle shops, but not many wine bars with a real ambiance,” she said. “I love downtown Cary, it feels like a Hallmark town, I just noticed a lack of that presence.”
Welton, who holds a master’s degree from Thunderbird School of Global Management, created a business plan for RBF in January and had nailed down the location by March.
Matt Larson of CBRE | Raleigh brokered the deal. The Williams House is owned by George Jordan and Jordan Gussenhoven of Chatham Street Commercial – the team behind much of downtown Cary’s current redevelopment.