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Dan and Melisa Reed — owners of Cafe DaVinci and The Table restaurant, and co-owners of Neighbors Artisan Taqueria — have once again expanded their Downtown DeLand business footprint.
The Reeds bought YOLO Bar and Grilled Cheese at 208 N. Woodland Blvd., and quickly converted it to The Boulevard, which offers a similar format, without grilled cheese.
YOLO opened in July 2016. The Reeds made an offer Aug. 12 to buy it from James and Elizabeth T. Carpenter, and reopened Aug. 16.
“We had a good run, but unfortunately we could not be there all of the time because of our other businesses,” Elizabeth Carpenter said.
The sale includes all furniture, fixtures and equipment, as well as the liquor license.
The Carpenters will continue to live in DeLand and manage their other real-estate investments, Elizabeth Carpenter said.
While many of the staff members will stay on, and a focus on craft cocktails will continue, The Boulevard’s food menu is switching from grilled cheese to small plates, flatbreads, and platters of meat and cheese.
Dan Reed said he and Melisa hope the small bites and flatbreads will help showcase the craft cocktails.
The Boulevard is currently open in a limited capacity 4 p.m.-midnight. After 9 p.m., only those age 21 and older are admitted. The Reeds are hoping for a grand opening and expansion of the hours in early September.
Melisa Reed, current president of the MainStreet DeLand Association, stressed an emphasis on fresh ingredients, both in the kitchen and behind the bar.
“Fresh food doesn’t have to just be on your plate; it can be part of your drink as well,” she said.
In addition to their three other Downtown DeLand businesses, the Reeds own the old Ace Hardware building at 303 N. Woodland Blvd. and the building at 111 N. Woodland Blvd., where Pho Co. Noodle House is their tenant.
Dan Reed said he and Melisa are making long-term investments to “leave something to my kids, so they don’t have to work as hard as I did.”
He attributed their success in Downtown partly to their reputation, and also to the fact they “live and breathe DeLand.”