By james art 
A popular restaurant and music venue will have to move from its downtown Wilmington location by the end of the year, according to Daniel Echeverri, who runs the business with his brother. A new owner has purchased the building, he said, and the lease on Bourbon St. expires at the end of the year.
The move came as a surprise to Echeverri, who believed the restaurant would have a home at 35 N. Front St. at least another year. But due to a complication with the documents, this is not the case.
“I was just blindsided,” he said.
Now he’s on a mission to save the restaurant. Until then, he plans to stay open until Dec. 31 and once again host their popular New Year’s Eve party on Bourbon St.
“We want to go out with a bang,” he said.
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James Goodnight, who said renovating historic properties is something of a passion project, is the building’s new owner. He also confirmed that he has purchased nearby properties that are home to The Gourmet Market and KGB. The lease for them is still in place, he said.
He said his first priority is renovating the restaurant space on Bourbon St.
“It needs some love,” he said.
A group of partners opened Bourbon St. in January 2013 in the space that was formerly Paleo Sun and was briefly home to Caffe Phoenix. After all, the two Echeverri brothers owned and operated it.
Since moving to Wilmington from Columbia, Daniel Echeverri said he has grown the restaurant’s live music scene to include a roster of 25 bands and musicians who regularly perform, with a waiting list. He said he’s also cultivated the bar and grill’s customer base with a constant focus on the customer experience, which offers a taste of New Orleans in the port city.
“We survived COVID,” he said. “We’ve had positive feedback.”
He added that he has tried several options to continue working in space, but nothing has worked so far. He said he is also considering the best way to relocate the business, if necessary, and is looking for possible investors to help if they find the right location.
Goodnight’s projects in the Wilmington area include the building that is home to the Seabird restaurant, as well as Olivero’s on the corner of Third and Castle streets.
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Alison Ballard is the StarNews food and nutrition reporter. You can find her at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on the Wilmington StarNews: Bourbon St. restaurant. will close its current location in Wilmington, North Carolina