A love of history first brought Broward teachers Barbara Bell and David Segal together, so it’s only fitting that the Hollywood couple will celebrate their upcoming nuptials in the City’s Historic Downtown District.

Bell and Segal, who met in the history department at Parkway Academy Charter High School in Miramar in 2003, will exchange vows July 30 in the ArtsPark at Young Circle and hold their wedding reception at the nearby Art and Culture Center of Hollywood.

Segal said the former colleagues were just friends for a while, until “history and a love of children, and teaching and molding young lives” helped turn them into soulmates.

During their courtship, the couple would pick up provisions at the Downtown Publix and share an intimate picnic in the ArtsPark every other week. “It was very enjoyable, sitting under the baobab trees,” Segal said of the tradition that has continued since their Christmas Eve engagement.
Choosing unique Hollywood venues for their wedding and reception was a natural decision for the couple, who prefer places they can revisit and relive the occasion over a hotel ballroom.

“Barbara is emotional in terms of wanting to feel connected to a place,” said Segal, 37, an eighth-grade U.S. history teacher at Arthur Ashe Middle School in Fort Lauderdale.

Bell, 35, who teaches 11th-grade U.S. history at Fort Lauderdale High, is a lifelong South Floridian who migrated from Coral Springs and Boca Raton to Hollywood three years ago. Back in high school, she attended concerts with friends at the former Young Circle Park.  

And while Segal and Bell were not acquainted with the Art and Culture Center before starting their search for a reception site, they have since become center members and are excited about celebrating their nuptials with 100 friends and family members in one of Hollywood’s oldest existing buildings. The City-owned former Kagey mansion at 1650 Harrison St. was constructed circa 1924.

“We went inside and just loved the space,” Segal said.

Beginning June 18, that space will be transformed into a dynamic contemporary-art wonderland created by New York-based artist and freestyle BMX bike rider Ryan Humphrey. His “Fast Forward” exhibit will be a large-scale, floor-to-ceiling installation featuring BMX bikes attached to the gallery walls, a massive wrap-around rug, a collection of bike-inspired paintings and mixed-media pieces, an interactive activity area and BMX bike ramps.

“We happen to like modern art,” Segal said. “And we’ll do a minimal amount of decorating. Once we see the exhibit, it’ll give us an idea.”

The couple has chosen a honeysuckle pink and green color scheme, and their wedding party is expected to include their 15-year-old dog Max as one of Segal’s “best men.”

The pre-wedding festivities also will take place in Hollywood, including the rehearsal dinner at Joe’s Tiki Bar Grill & Sushi on the Intracoastal Waterway and Bell’s bachelorette party in Downtown Hollywood. Out-of-town guests will stay at the Hollywood Beach Marriott, the former Howard Johnson hotel where Segal vacationed as a child. A Chicago native, he has called Hollywood home for the past six years.

Both he and Bell feel it’s vital for people to support their hometown venues and businesses.

“You have to, because if you don’t, what happens to your hometown?” Segal asked. “You always get more personal attention. We eat in Hollywood unless we’re out with friends who live in Boca. The restaurants Downtown are so accommodating and the food is so good.”

“Downtown Hollywood is a great place. It’s not nearly as busy as it should be,” Bell added. “We’re trying real hard to help keep it alive.”

The couple, who currently share their small abode with their dog, a cat and Segal’s mother, a recently transplanted Chicagoan, are hoping to move soon — but not out of Hollywood.

“This is where we want to put our roots down,” Bell said.

“It’s a terrific town,” added Segal. “We’re looking for a home in Hollywood Lakes.”

In the meantime, the couple is busy planning for their big day, including taking weekly ballroom dance classes at Hollywood Hills High, finding a florist and arranging for an ice cream truck to provide refreshments for guests along the two-block walk from the ArtsPark to the Art and Culture Center.

“It’s going to be fun,” Bell said.

As Segal put it, “It’ll be a wedding that you won’t forget.”

New Hollywood business owners Charro Brotman and Barrett Windish of the Octopus Garden Club, or the OGC, in Downtown Hollywood will soon see their club featured in a major Hollywood movie featuring stars like Alec Baldwin, Catherine Zeta Jones, Tom Cruise, Paul Giamatti and Russell Brand.

“Rock of Ages,” a Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema production, will feature scenes filmed at the OGC and will feature one of the club’s bartenders, Gerry McLoon, as well. The New Line Cinema Crew transformed the bar both inside and out with 1980s décor last month to get it ready for the movie and Windish couldn’t be happier.

“I was told it is the largest budget movie to ever be filmed in Florida,” he said, adding the movie will also film in Miami and other parts of Southern Florida. “The notoriety for my business is a cool thing, but anything going on in Downtown is great for all the businesses here.”

The film is an adaptation of the hit Broadway musical that tells the story of a small town girl who meets a big city rocker in LA’s most famous rock club and that features classic music from the ‘80s, including Journey, Night Ranger, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Poison and Whitesnake. They will shoot the movie this month, and the film is slated to release in July 2012.

Windish, who moved from California to Hollywood three months ago and who has experience with film production, said he got involved in the production because he was seeking out independent movies and local television shows to feature his bar for publicity. He then found out someone had already been scouting his bar, but he had no idea it was for such a huge production.  

“We’re completely thrilled,” he succinctly said.

In the film, the OGC will be called “Boardners Cocktails.”

The Octopus Garden Club features live bands, independent film debut nights, live experimental music and karaoke, and they are now launching their kitchen, featuring gourmet hot dogs, spicy fries and cheese steaks, as well as vegetarian options.

Hollywood resident and fashion designer Kayce Armstrong has more than sketches and fabric swatches, supermodels and fashion shows on her mind. Although the owner of Art of Shade in Downtown Hollywood has received numerous awards and recognitions — including the Designer’s Choice Award at Miami International Fashion Week last month — for her high-fashion designs made entirely out of recycled materials, Armstrong feels passionate about bringing more art, culture and fashion to the Downtown Hollywood area in an effort to boost the local economy.

Armstrong, who opted to forgo the hustle and bustle of Miami and Ft. Lauderdale and instead bought a house in Hollywood, opened Art of Shade in Downtown Hollywood because she saw the potential of growing her business in the area. But eight years later, Armstrong admits she feels frustrated with the current art and culture scene of Downtown Hollywood and the current business scene as well.

“Half of Downtown Hollywood is vacant, and it’s going to stay that way unless we turn it into an artist’s community,” Armstrong said. “I’ve been seeing business around me crumble, and I’m upset with what’s going on. It’s time that somebody speak out because I think it could easily turn around.”
With the success of her business, Armstrong is looking to expand to a bigger location in Hollywood — a location that would feature a teaching center and a recycling center and would create more jobs. The avid Hollywood supporter would also love to bring fashion shows and charity events to Hollywood to attract business and visitors but said she needs help to do that.

“I’ve wanted to do fashion shows here, but who’s going to come, who’s going to support it, who’s going to fund it,” she said. “We need the spaces [in Downtown Hollywood] to be little cafés and bars and art galleries. This will draw people to Hollywood.”

Armstrong said she would love the City to work harder to fill the vacant store fronts in Downtown Hollywood and would love to see them better publicize the existing stores and restaurants. Although she’s excited that the City brought back the ArtWalk and that they are building a new performing arts pavilion in ArtsPark — expected to open June 3 and to include concerts and seating for around 2,000 people — she said without filling vacant store fronts, people will not want to come back and frequent Downtown businesses and events.

“The City needs to motivate the owners of the empty buildings to negotiate prices to get businesses here,” she said. “On some days, Harrison Street is a virtual ghost town.”

To bring people to the area, Armstrong and her employees host trunk shows at her store, located at 2028 Harrison St., and to support local businesses, she recommends various restaurants and boutiques in Downtown Hollywood to her customers. They in turn send customers her way, as well. She said the small business owners in Hollywood stick together.

And any visitor who walked into Art of Shade would have a lot to look at.

Art of Shade presently has nine different collections that have been inspired by everything from global warming to the DJ group Birdy Nam Nam, according to the boutique’s website. And, all her designs are made out of recycled materials like hand-me-down clothes, seat cushions and shower curtains.

“I am inspired by the world around me,” Armstrong said on her website. “Things in nature, politics, music and art. I will not allow myself to be confined by corporate demands for mass production. Fashion to me is more of an art and an expression of individuality and gives us the opportunity to be different.”
To revitalize Downtown Hollywood, Armstrong thinks the City should take a cue from Delray Beach because she noticed it has a great downtown area with restaurants, boutiques and stores lining streets with hundreds of patrons visiting them. In addition, she would like to see the City of Hollywood revamp Downtown Hollywood like they did Hollywood Beach and the Broadwalk. She said she notices Lisa Liotta working like crazy to do just that but wonders how much one person can do herself.

“I think we need to be progressive and current,” Armstrong said. “We need Downtown Hollywood to be full of flavor and full of things to do for both residents and tourists.”

And because Hollywood is her home and her business has reached a point where it’s successful enough to expand, Armstrong would love to keep her boutique located here. She loves to ride her bike to work and envisions a thriving Downtown art and culture scene where she can expand her passion for fashion and for Hollywood.

“We’re sticking it out and only hope to grow,” she said. “We’re hoping to bring more jobs and business to Hollywood. To me, Hollywood can be a very special place. We have all the potential in the world.”

For more information about the Art of Shade and Kayce Armstrong, visit www.artofshade.com.

Given the sketchy survival rate of new restaurants, particularly in a challenging economic climate, opening two eateries in a nine-month period in the same neighborhood might seem like a risky business move. But Downtown Hollywood restaurateur Jimmy Sklavenitis banked on a tried-and-true recipe for success, and it paid off.

Sklavenitis opened The Greek Joint on Harrison Street with his brother Chris in early May of last year and then introduced diners to The Big Easy Bar and Grille on Hollywood Boulevard, which he opened Feb. 1 with business partner Chris Eberle. Both restaurants have been garnering favorable reviews from patrons and critics alike.

It’s no stroke of blind luck for Sklavenitis, who previously opened three other establishments Downtown: SAS Martini Lounge, which he has owned since 2007; Universe Café, which he owned with Eberle from 2003-07; and Taverna Yiamas, which Sklavenitis opened and sold in 2007. He learned the ropes of the restaurant business running popular Hollywood Beach eateries Giorgio’s Grill and Taverna Opa.

Sklavenitis admitted that opening a new restaurant in uncertain economic times is a risky venture.

“If it would be my first time around the block, it would definitely be a harder time than I have now,” he said.

Sklavenitis stressed the inherent benefits of introducing a restaurant concept that fills a niche while appealing to a wide market. Toward this end, The Greek Joint offers a vast array of ethnic specialties that include gyros, hummus, moussaka, souvlaki and spanakopita, as well as Buffalo wings, cheeseburgers, barbecue ribs and grilled wild Atlantic salmon.

The Big Easy specializes in New Orleans-style cuisine and live jazz and blues — a rare combination in South Broward — and also serves up a large selection of American fare. Among the menu offerings are Louisiana delicacies like jambalaya, gumbo, red beans and rice, shrimp or oyster po’boys, cornmeal-crusted catfish and beignets. Live music, available in the evening Wednesday through Saturday and on Sunday afternoons, is another strong draw, especially in the wake of the closing of popular downtown fixture Sushi Blues Café.

Further enhancing The Big Easy’s New Orleans vibe is a mural painted by local artist Rob Robi that wraps all around the upper part of the 6,000-square-foot restaurant’s interior and depicts revelers on a French Quarter balcony. Local diners are likely to find some of the mural’s subjects familiar, including musicians who have performed at The Big Easy, notable Hollywood businesspeople and loyal customers. Notable Downtown icons include Lisa Liotta and photographer Tom Olsen, who recently celebrated 10 years of business in the district, can be spotted in the mural.

The latter group has helped fuel Sklavenitis’ strong entrepreneurial spirit. “I’ve been around for a while, and we know quite a lot of people,” he said.
An emphasis on the human aspect of business has much to do with the success of Sklavenitis’ Downtown ventures. He believes it’s important to “hire good people and train them to be good servers.” Customers appreciate a pleasant ambiance that includes “the way they’re greeted when they come in,” Sklavenitis said. “It’s not the restaurant and bar business. It’s the hospitality business.”

Opening and running a restaurant is “not for everybody, that’s for sure,” he stressed. “It’s not glory. It’s anything but glory. You’re washing dishes, you’re cleaning floors. It’s hard work.”

Sklavenitis has chosen to invest his energy, time and money in Downtown Hollywood time and time again because of its central location and unique small town feel.

“I love Downtown Hollywood. It’s quaint,” he said. “Location-wise, we’re smack dab in the middle of everything. I think Downtown Hollywood’s got a lot of potential.”

The Big Easy Bar and Grille, at 1925 Hollywood Blvd., opens daily at 11 a.m. and closes at midnight Sunday through Tuesday and at 2 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday. For more information, call 954-924-3006 or visit thebigeasybarandgrille.com.

The Greek Joint, at 2003 Harrison St., is open from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, and noon to 10 p.m. Sundays. Takeaway and delivery services are available. Call 954-929-9966 or visit thegreekjoint.com for additional information.