Wednesday, Jul. 14, 2010

New Flip Side owners plan to stay the course

Victor Gano and his wife, Kathleen Nobles, started going to The Flip Side restaurant a couple of years ago to dance to live music.

They liked the popular downtown spot so much, they eventually decided to buy it. Gano and his family took over the Flip Side and the Coffee Mill on Lombard Street on July 1.

Gano says he doesn't plan to change the restaurant and coffee shop, which have become downtown anchors and symbols of Clayton's growing focus on the arts.

"We like it as it is, really," said Gano, 71. "And the people like it."

Since Jodi Sager and Cliff Morgan opened the business years ago, Clayton residents have embraced the chance to sip cappuccino at The Coffee Mill or have dinner amid the trendy ambiance of The Flip Side, with its brick walls and artsy décor. Music enthusiasts go to see bands, and novice musicians take the small stage for open-mic nights.

Ten years ago, the former owners started the Millstock arts and music festival, which has become a popular annual attraction.

Of course, the business has had some bumps along the way.

A couple of years ago, as the economy was sinking, rumors swirled that the coffee shop and restaurant would close. But they didn't.

Gano, who owned a restaurant in Buffalo, N.Y., for 30 years, said he and his family know all about the restaurant business. His son, Carmen, is helping run The Flip Side now.

Gano said he might tweak The Flip Side's menu a bit, and eventually he wants to keep the restaurant open in the afternoons. The former owners closed for a few hours after the lunch rush.

And Gano, who is an actor and has performed in regional productions, has no intentions of veering from the restaurant's love of the arts. He's thinking of starting a theater group that would perform one- or two-person shows at The Flip Side.

Nobles, an artist who has a studio in Raleigh, will bring in her art, Gano said.

Customers welcomed Gano's pledge to keep the restaurant and coffee shop as they are.

"It's almost like family here," said Jerry Pounds, 64, who sometimes goes to The Flip Side a few times a week. "I've met some good friends here."

Joe and Dale Rinehart of Clayton have been going to The Flip Side for lunch and dinner for about four years. They take their young kids along.

The family moved to Clayton from the Washington, D.C. area, where they said they were used to having lots of restaurant choices.

They like the "funky and edgy" atmosphere of The Flip Side, Dale Rinehart said.

And the couple agreed the business has been good for the town.

"It's set an example other businesses moving into Clayton need to follow," Joe Rinehart said.

For now, Gano is settling in.

"I'm old enough I shouldn't be doing something like this, but I'm one of those guys who doesn't like to retire," he said.