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See more photos of the burlesque dancers
DELRAY BEACH — It took the imagination of an artist to see the Art Deco bones of the little white building on Southeast Second Street.
Two years ago, artists Kevin Rouse and Deb Sullivan bought the broken-down 1967 building. They pressure-cleaned, painted, replaced the roof, hauled garbage and transformed it into the Kevro Art Bar, an edgy, neon-lit oasis in an otherwise lonely block south of the martini bars and restaurants of Atlantic Avenue.
Kevin Rouse and Deb Sullivan, owners of the Kevro Art Bar in Delray Beach. (Damon Higgins/The Palm Beach Post)
“When we bought this place, people said, ‘You’re crazy, you’re courageous,’” said Sullivan, 45. Some nights she was so tired she cried.
“I didn’t realize there would be so many rats,” she said. “And if we had known then what we know now, we probably wouldn’t have done it. But if it were easy, everybody would be doing it.”
After two years, their only neighbors on Second Street are a roofing company and a storage facility and, of course, the railroad tracks across the street. They remain upbeat.
“Saturday night we were packed,” said Rouse, 47.
Rouse and Sullivan had a ready-made clientele in their friends in the art, historical, fashion, filmmaking and musical worlds. Downtown residents, including condo dwellers from across the alley, have now discovered the art bar.
Bar area inside the Kevro Art Bar in Delray Beach owned by Kevin Rouse and Deb Sullivan. ( Damon Higgins/The Palm Beach Post)
The walls of the bar are covered by artwork by Rouse and others. Almost every night has a theme, from graffiti to open mike performances and a once-a-month classic burlesque show. There may be musicians, poets, authors, belly dancers, magicians.
In the back patio, there is an outside bar, two ping-pong tables and misters for hot nights. There is also an oversized two-bay garage, available to artists without their own space. Kevro is dog-friendly and there is plenty of street parking at night.
“That particular street is in an area we’ve been interested in for a long time, trying to develop an art district,” said Delray Beach City Manager David Harden. “Kevro’s establishment definitely fits in. We have some real strong galleries on Atlantic; we’d like to see some more.”
Now it’s all about hanging on until the economy’s pulse returns.
Rouse and Sullivan are an unusual amalgam of art and enterprise. When he is not tending bar, or painting, Rouse is dreaming up products and promotional ideas. He has designed a sleek, silvery keystone-shaped logo that could become street markers in Delray Beach’s Art Deco district, as he has unofficially dubbed it.
A number of elements must converge for the industrial art district to click, said Francisco Perez-Azua , development director of the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency.
“There’s got to be some public-private partnership, maybe some rental spaces and art studios,” he said. “Then the residents can support local businesses. That’s what an urban environment is all about.”
Sounds like a great place.Best of luck, are you on facebook?
genefish says:
October 2, 2009 at 9:04 am
its a RATHOLE, needs to be cleaned out properly. would you drink a beer there?
Congrats Deb and Kevin!
Are you located on the north or south side off of Atalantic Blvd?
ok,, sex still sells ,,no talent needed to shake your cans,,let’s hide behind ” ART” ..Delray still full of horny retards,,old Jews like old fat ”Germanesque” chicks,, Wasn’t that Hitlers girls first job??
Go to bed Will. Saturday night’s over and apparently left you feeling bitter. I’m glad to see someone is creating a local scene rather than complaining about the lack of culture in our area and taking their talent to larger cities which already have a thriving scene. I look forward to visiting.
agree fish,
its a RATHOLE, needs to be cleaned out properly. would you drink a beer there?
Will,You are a Dope.
Hey Will I bet you are fun to go out with!
yea i’m freakin a blast, see you all it the news when your dads are reported wackin it in the audience
Will-Take your meds.
we need only one Downtown Delray Arts District. that includes all the galleries that existed and thrived on the main artery of
Atlantic avenue for more than 30 years, and your now art bar. I understand you once served on the public arts advisory board, was anything positively done for our art community or just for kevin art bar?
KEVRO’S SUCKS HE’S NO ARTISTS HE’S A THIEF THAT STEALS OTHER PEOPLE’S ART AND SELLS IT
KEVRO sucks as an artist he’s some druggy guy
yea man kevro’s is great for drinkin
sucks for art
I agree with bill
its a RATHOLE, needs to be cleaned out properly. would you drink a beer there?