WILMINGTON — It’s the sixth or seventh business in the greater Wilmington area that entrepreneurs Amy and Glenn Newbury-Smith have fostered into existence. A 1,000-square foot space, Banter, opened Thursday evening to the public.
Formerly Mon Âme Chocolate and Wine Bar, the 19 S. Second St. location has been in the mind’s eye of Glenn for years, according to his wife, Amy. He has owned numerous bars in downtown Wilmington, including Sharky’s, Oliver Twist, Goat & Compass and Duck & Dive, the latter of which the couple still operates.
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“He’s been eyeing that [Second Street] building for 20 years,” Amy said. “He’s thrilled to death to have it — the history of the space, the cobblestone, the energy when you walk in.”
Both know Andrew Bopes, owner of Mon Âme, who also served as a bartender at Duck & Dive, located only a few hundred feet away from Banter. Bopes and D&D bartender and former Whiskey bar owner Alicia Mitchell were behind the pine opening night.
“They were huge consultants,” Amy said, adding Banter drinks remain reasonably priced ($10 each) and will change seasonally.
William DeStrac, for example, consists of vodka, champagne, St. Germaine, and lavender syrup, and comes garnished with a lemon twist and fresh lavender.
The moniker of the drink is also at the foundation of the 1842 building. The historic plaque addresses the structure as the “DeStrac House.” A Frenchman, DeStrac was a 19th-century baker, and the divet where his former oven was still is noticeable in the space.
“We did have to cover up the front side to allow for building the bar,” Amy said. “When you’re in a historical space, there are little nooks and crannies that you’re not going to be ready for.”
The configuration of the bar has changed from its previous iteration, now facing the door. Though, overall, the space is still three rooms, with a hidden garden out back Amy updated with reclaimed brick. She envisions it to eventually be a wild English garden, to reflect her husband’s British lineage.
“He always has silly Cockney sayings — like, ‘rabbiting’ is someone who talks too much,” she said.
A bunny is the logo for Banter.
Amy said she hopes to fill a hole that has been missing in the area when Tails closed in 2020. The upscale bar was known for being all-inclusive and hosting live music. Music will take place in the garden area; however, it won’t necessarily be every weekend. When it is scheduled, it will be encouraged as a listening space.
“One of the goals is to be ‘unplugged,’” she said, a double entendre, not only meaning acoustic music but also a phone-free zone. “You check your phone like you check a coat before you go over that threshold. Of course, we’re not trying to make you break up with your phone; we’re just trying to give the artists the opportunity to be heard.”
Though not strictly enforced, the goal is to encourage one-on-one time spent with people and interacting, as the bar name suggests.
“After the pandemic, I think, whether we recognize it or not, subconsciously, we are all starved for connection,” Amy said.
Banter can hold a little more than 30 people, including outdoor seating on the front sidewalk. It’s set up for customers to enjoy time in one of the lounge areas, decorated with Victorian settees or plush chairs, conversing and not feeling rushed.
Amy said she leaned into the “quirk and the oddity of the space and its really low ceilings.” All furniture, except the new bar stools, are reclaimed. No TVs hang on the wall to provide distractions.
It’s “Old World meets funk,” she described the space, decorated with vintage finds from Facebook Marketplace.
“My friends say it’s like I moved Lucas Farmhouse downtown and Glenn built a bar in it,” Amy said.
Lucas is the farm the Newbury-Smiths own in Rocky Point, which houses Airbnb travelers and is “100% customer driven,” Amy said — also the goal of Banter. Her focus is to ensure every person who comes through the bar feels special and catered to.
“It is somewhere you’d take your 22-year-old niece or your 80-year-old grandmother and feel comfortable with it,” Amy said.
It’s also a space for social drinkers who don’t partake in alcohol. Amy said the mocktails were well-received opening weekend, as “Dry January” has gained popularity.
While craft cocktails are the prime sippers at the bar — there is also Prosecco on tap and beer and wine offered — Amy has honed in on adaptogens to speckle the menu. The zero-proof spirits utilize ingredients in herbal medicine that have natural aftereffects on the mood and body.
Banter serves Lyres aperitifs, Moment sparkling sippers, and HopWtr, a non-alcoholic sparkling water made with bold hops and adaptogens and nootropics, like stress relievers Ashwagandha and L-theanine.
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Aside from serving up thoughtful cocktails and mocktails, Banter also will host special events. Amy is toying with the idea of customers drawing or painting a rabbit to receive a surprise “treat.” Their art would then be clothes-pinned to old shutters and featured on the walls. Canvases of locally created art already adorn the space.
“One thing consistent about Banter will be that it’s inconsistent,” Amy said. “And that will be the charm in it. I think it’d be really fun if we could promote local high school artists, even though they can’t drink here. It still would be a big self-esteem booster.”
The Newbury-Smiths are focused on drawing the before- and after-dinner rush, with operational hours concluding earlier than a normal 2 a.m. bar, especially since above the space are apartments as well.
“We aren’t playing by regular bar rules,” Amy said. “That’s the whole point: doing something that’s a little offbeat.”
Banter is closed Monday and Tuesday, and operates 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Wednesday, 5 p.m. to midnight on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m on Sunday.
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