Michael Prineas has a vision for a new type of bar in Seattle.
He sees a place where people can stop by in the morning for a latte and watch CNN.
At lunchtime. schoolchildren and people who work in the neighborhood can get grab-and-go burgers, hot dogs, pizzas and potstickers.
At night those seeking an alternative to Wallingford's louder bars can come by for jazz music, martinis and gourmet desserts.
He envisions the bar to be a place "primarily for the neighborhood to enjoy," inclusive as opposed to excluding certain crowds. He wants to draw everyone in.
He calls this place Wonderbar.
Sitting in what will become Wonderbar, at the southwest corner of North 45th Street and Wallingford Avenue North, Prineas talks about how he wants to open a bar that lends itself to a more "European experience."
He wants a place where people can come anytime of the day and have all their needs satisfied - whether it is morning coffee, a quick lunch or an elegant evening.
Wonderbar is located in a building that Prineas' family has owned for more than 80 years. He said he received more offers from coffee-shops throughout the western United States to open a store at the location:"I figured with that much interest maybe I should do something."
So with his business partner, Art Wilson, who owns a real estate investment firm, Prineas came up with the idea of Wonderbar.
Prineas is not new to the business of running such establishments. He has been in the nightclub business for more than 20 years, owning and operating restaurants and clubs in Los Angeles and Seattle.
He used to organize events, such as client appreciation parties, for Wilson's firm.
A native Seattleite whose family has long been active in the city, he started in the business after a five-year, professional-tennis career.
After attending Seattle University, Prineas traveled on the pro-tennis tour, playing against such greats as Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors.
While traveling the world he loved going to the clubs and discos, he said, but a back injury stopped his career, and his father gave him an ultimatum: become a doctor or figure out something else to do.
He took his love of clubs and made it into a career. Ironically, he said, he has never had a drop of alcohol. He stocks his bars based on recommendations from friends.
Prineas is still working on the finishing touches for Wonder-bar's anticipated opening later this week, but it already looks different from many bars in Wallingford.
The room is filled with leather sofas and chandeliers. The bar front is a wood carving from an old ship that Wilson acquired on a trip to Sri Lanka.
"People [in Seattle] are very educated, and they have a lot of exposure, nationally as well as internationally," Prineas said.
It is this exposure to other restaurants and club experiences that Prineas believes will make Wonderbar a success.
But Prineas does not want to create competition with other businesses. Instead, he seeks to develop a supportive community.
When it opens, Wonderbar will not offer full dinners. "If people want dinner I'll send them across the street," Prineas said, referring to his many friends who own local restaurants.
Wilson sees Wonderbar as being a "crossbreed between a coffee bar and spirits bar."
Prineas is open to ideas from community members and his neighbors.
"I'm hoping it's what the neighborhood wants," he said.
If the Wallingford location is successful, Prineas hopes to open Wonderbars in more local neighborhoods such as Capitol Hill and West Seattle.
But Prineas wants to keep each possible future Wonderbar unique and valued by those in its neighborhood. He wants each location to be a place with class where people can get their morning coffee and news, schoolchildren can grab a quick, affordable lunch and adults can wind down with piano music and glass of wine.
For now, the business partners are focusing on the opening of the first Wonderbar this Saturday, Aug. 14, and hoping the neighborhood will enjoy it.
"We want it to be everyone's favorite destination," Wilson said.
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