Serving coffee and cocktails from morning to night, the newly renovated and newly concepted Bespoke (previously Bespoke Coffee & Dry Goods) is now open in downtown Wilmington.

By leaning into the overall vibe of Italian apertivo drinking culture, Bespoke’s owner, Robby Dow, has developed a new business model for the staple at the corner of Second and Princess streets, which originally opened in 2017.

“It’s meant to be a neighborhood bar and coffee shop that you can experience all day,” Dow said. “The idea from the get-go was people love Bespoke, and I love Bespoke. It is a neighborhood brand, rightfully so, and I wanted to pay homage to it but also wanted to bring something new to Wilmington.”

In March 2024, Dow bought the popular spot from Chris Batten.

“I knew of the place very well,” Dow said. “It was one of the first places in Wilmington that I went and was like, ‘Oh, somebody gets it.’”

Dow, who is originally from the Hillsborough area, graduated in 2012 with a degree in business administration and a finance concentration from N.C. State University. After he cut his teeth at The Crunkleton in Chapel Hill, he moved to New York City and landed a gig at Grand Army Bar. During his years at Grand Army, Dow worked his way up from bartender to head bartender to beverage director.

“My background in New York was heavily focused on Italian liqueurs and using them in cocktails,” Dow said.

When he moved to Wilmington in 2022, Dow had his eye on opening a spot of his own and was making behind-the-scenes moves toward that goal while working at spots like Dram and Draught and Seabird. He eventually was connected with Sonny Gerhart and Lauren Krall Ivey of Olivero and worked to develop and launch their successful beverage program.

“When I got on board with them, I told Sonny from the get-go that ultimately I wanted to do the same thing as him – I want to own my own spot,” he said. “My plan was to start something from scratch.”

Dow never intended to buy an existing business; he even had developed a concept for a different location in Wilmington before Bespoke became an option. He had been working for about a year with local broker Terry Espy to find a location to fit his original vision.

“I always say this isn’t for everybody,” he said. “It’s a lot of holding on, looking, trusting the process. It wasn’t like I was sitting on my heels and something popped up and I had to squirrel to figure it out. I was ready to make something happen and then this did.”

Since so much of Dow’s experience while still in New York was working with the bittersweet Italian liqueur amaro, that ultimately became the starting point for his vision at Bespoke. The concept hinges at the intersection of Italian aperitivo drinking culture (think Aperol spritz) and espresso culture (think…well, Bespoke).

“When I saw Bespoke and where it was and where it could be, the concept was ultimately to end up having it be more of an all-day cafe or neighborhood bar where you could come in when the doors open and have a Negroni and our premium espresso,” Dow said. “I knew I wanted to retain a lot of the awesome parts of the coffee program and the existing things that people knew with Bespoke, while also leaning into the aperitivo bar that exists in Italy.”

Besides the Italian influence, Dow emphasizes the importance of Bespoke feeling like an approachable, reliable neighborhood bar. An important element in that endeavor is Bespoke operating seven days a week.

“One reason that we all love dive bars is because they’re never not open,” Dow said. “I think that’s a big piece for a successful neighborhood bar, too. Every single day we are going to have Guinness and Negronis on tap; we’re going to be here for espresso and Americanos. We want to give customers the comfort and the assurance of consistency.”

One unique thing customers can expect to find during those seven operational days of the week is the largest amaro selection in North Carolina. Dow has acquired a vintage license, and the back bar will include amaro from the 60s, 70s and 80s, all available for order.

“I’ve thought a lot about what it is to be a neighborhood bar but also what it is to be world class,” Dow said. “And I think details and service are the biggest things that set you apart. Have a great product, serve something that tastes great, but you have to provide excellent service and attention to detail.”

For Dow, Bespoke’s reopening is the culmination of 13 years in the industry, collecting wisdom from mentors and experience behind bars throughout North Carolina and New York.

“It’s going to be a pretty surreal moment to bartend behind my own bar,” he said. “That’s going to be a crazy feeling. When I leave every night and I walk out the front door, I can see the sun setting behind the battleship. There’s been several moments along the way when I’ve gotten choked up just because of how many years and how much time I’ve wanted this goal.”