“Our original space was very old but polished in ways that made it quaint. We had restored the original terrazzo floors from when it was Foster’s Drug Store and had leaned into a minimalistic aesthetic which worked well with the very large windows that surrounded the building. An old PA that I used to practice with once upon a time served as our every-day equipment,” says Ben Greene, one of Oscura Cafe’s original owners. When their lease on their original location was up in November of 2020, co-owners and longtime friends, Ben Greene and Keith Nasewicz, didn’t renew it. Instead, they shut down operations and took some time to breathe, with one simple promise to their loyal customers: “This isn’t goodbye, this is see you later.”
BEN GREENE AND KEITH NASEWICZ CLINK GLASSES TO CELEBRATE OSCURA'S REIMAGINED NEW LOCATION IN DOWNTOWN BRADENTON, REPLETE WITH A LOCALLY SOURCED MENU AND BEVERAGE PROGRAM.
“We just thought there’s really no point in re-signing and going through it—we were already looking for something larger. Our cafe’s food and beverage programs were doing well, but our biggest draw was our live events,” says Greene. “We were packing out every concert and event.” The turning point had occurred during a sold-out show prior to the pandemic. “On December 22, 2019, we put on a show featuring Worst Party Ever, Photofire, Camp Trash, Cherish This and a few others,” shares Greene. “Usually, a packed show for us was around 100-150 people, but this show was well into the 200-plus range and we had to limit our capacity. We sold out of beer within a couple hours, we were serving food until we had to stop as the crowd began dancing, which caused us to brace the partition wall from falling over.”
RENOVATIONS SHOW OFF AN INDUSTRIAL-COOL, MODERN YET RUSTIC VIBE INSIDE.
That overflow, coupled with the downtime of the pandemic, led to the reimagining of Oscura at its new location (816 Manatee Ave E, in the burgeoning Bradenton neighborhood of Old Manatee). Greene and Nasewicz partnered with Ben Bakker, Wade Hamilton and Richard Krause to bring their vision of a larger, more live-event oriented, Oscura to life. Bakker and Hamilton are board members of Realize Bradenton—the nonprofit dedicated to revitalizing downtown Bradenton—and also contributed to launching Independent Jones, a local live music and entertainment company. Krause is the owner of local company Richards Plumbing and Electric. “It was like this perfect assembly of forces. The other partners were regulars at the shop—they saw the potential in us and were willing to align themselves to make it happen,” says Greene.
THE TEAM PLAN TO UTILIZE OSCURA'S NEW, EXPANDED SPACE TO OFFER LIVE EVENT OFFERINGS SUCH AS STAND-UP COMEDY, LISTENING ROOM PERFORMANCES, TICKETED CONCERTS, OPEN MIC NIGHTS AND OTHER COMMUNITY EVENTS
To fulfill Oscura’s full potential, however, required a radical transformation—from quaint, local coffee shop to full scale live entertainment venue. Oscura’s new location, at 3,000 sq-ft, is more than double the size of the original cafe. Replete with a full bar and stage, the space is much more suitable for live events. “You walk through our main doors and the first thing you see is just this giant stage,” says Greene. “It’s a venue first, that also has a decorated food and beverage program.” With Greene and some of the other partners having experience in the live music industry, it was important to them that the new location was as musician-friendly as possible. “We really dialed in on the music equipment and the stage itself,” he says. “We have a green room that’s actually attached to the stage. It’s curated for convenience and quality for these musicians.”
OSCURA CAFE & BAR, 540 13TH ST W, BRADENTON, 941-782-8798
The expansion to the new location doesn’t just benefit Oscura’s ability to host live events, however. While maintaining Oscura’s beloved lineup of coffees, teas and non-alcoholic drinks, the addition of a fully-stocked liquor bar allows Nasewicz to build upon a repertoire of low alcohol content cocktails and serve the classics all night long. Additionally, a larger kitchen gives Nasewicz the freedom to expand on the “variety and hyper-locality” of the food program while still touting fan favorites like their Cuban sandwich and avocado toast.
“We want to highlight and represent Bradenton. All of our ingredients are locally sourced—as much as they can be,” he says. “Same with our creators and musicians that will be occupying the event space. We’re trying to keep it as local as possible while also diving into the Sarasota and St. Pete markets as well.” Although the size and location of Oscura has changed, the same local brand that the cafe established over two years ago remains. But what started as a coffee shop operating on a shoe-string budget, has now morphed into a full-swing live music venue and bar. “Our goal is to offer a place for the local music scene to not only exist but to flourish,” says Greene.
