Brew HaHa’s new Avenue North cafe is meant to evoke mid-century modern vibes. Photo by Becca Mathias
Brew Haha! will open its latest cafe on North Avenue on Monday, October 3, with decor designed to evoke a 1970s apartment on New York’s Upper West Side.
The store will be one of the new elements of North Avenue’s $300 million redevelopment of the former Astra Zeneca property off US 202, which aims to provide an environment to work, play and live.
Developers Delle Donne & Associates wanted to focus on local brands and reached out to Brew HaHa! owner Alisa Morkides to see if she was interested.
“They didn’t want a Starbucks or a chain,” she said. “And they basically made us an offer we couldn’t refuse.”
Brew the local flavor of HaHa!
The nearby Concord Pike location of Brew HaHa! needed updating, and Morkides – who has been in tears to improve his locations, especially in Greenville and Trolley Square – loved the idea of being part of the Avenue North project.
The new boutique, at 1000 Renaissance Way across from the Fairfax Mall, will feature a 4,000 square foot interior, a 1,400 square foot three-season patio with Space Age styles, and a conference room.
“We really want to focus on integrating business people,” she said.
She expects people who like to take a break from an office or at home working in a coffee shop will also want a space to hold meetings.
Morkides loves the Avenue North space so much that she moves the company’s headquarters into the building.
The striking terrace of Brew HaHa! is the first thing customers will see upon entering. Photo by Becca Mathias
Avenue North will serve Brew HaHa! Greenville will remain its only full restaurant adding all-day brunch, salads and specialties such as Taco Thursdays to pastry and sandwich menus.
She said she hopes to do more with wine at Trolley Square and add quiches to it and Avenue North.
Morkides said he chose the mid-century theme because the property sits in the middle of many housing developments built in the 1950s and 1960s. Neighborhoods are increasingly diverse and populated by Millennials who like modern styles popular during the construction of houses.
The building she had moved into was made up of offices, so the walls had to be knocked down to create the interior space.
The end product, including indoor and outdoor fireplaces, furniture, and even the art on the walls, is meant to be reminiscent of mid-century modern.
Morkides likes to inscribe the appearance of its cafés in the history and atmosphere of the region.
Alisa Morkides hired local carpenters to build tables and bought local art for the walls of the Avenue North store. Photo by Becca Mathias
Its Greenville store is meant to evoke a charming living room in a Greenville mansion, and Trolley Square is a nod to the area’s industrial history and the Brandywine River School of Art.
She and her staff decorate their stores themselves.
“We love Wilmington’s cultural and industrial roots,” she said.
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Architecture agency Bernardon helped dream up the look and recommended things like wallpaper, but Morkides and his operations manager Jillian Willis found all the furniture and art themselves.
They use online sites like Wayfair for furniture and rugs, but also shop at stores like Target or Bed, Bath & Beyond.
“It’s all about colors and we don’t have any training in that, but you just know if it’s the right color,” she said. “I had to buy 50 pillows and swap them or put them somewhere else because I had to find the right pillow.”
They hired local carpenters to make their tables and while some of the art was bought at auction, Morkides fell in love with the Wilmington artist’s work. Susan Benarcik and has many of his works.
North Brew Avenue HaHa! hopes to attract workers into the new work-life-play development. Photo by Becca Mathias
The look is completed with plants provided by Erica Boston of Binkley Horticulture, who also supplied the plants for the Trolley and Greenville stores.
“She’s amazing,” Morkides said. “It’s expensive but definitely worth it.”
The store will include a record player and vintage vinyl records for customers to listen to. Morkides also hopes to bring live music.
The Avenue North boutique will be bathed in light, she said, thanks to windows that overlook the patio, which will seat about 45 people. Powerful heaters have been installed outside to make it usable as much as possible all year round.
Morkides is concerned that it will be difficult for customers to find the Avenue North store. It will be marked with “now open” signs, but a permanent marker will still take a few weeks to arrive and be installed.
“When you’re driving there’s actually a sign on the right that says Brew HaHa!” she said. “I hope people find us.”
Betsy Price is a freelance writer from Wilmington with 40 years of experience, including 15 at the News Journal in Delaware.