I met Dan Margagliotti through a co-worker, and I had a great time chatting with him about his business, TheBarMaker. For 13 years, Dan has been building custom bars, joking that if he can’t serve a drink on it, he’s not building it. So how do you get into the business of building custom bars and where do you even begin to design something from scratch for a client? Read this week’s Small Business Sunday feature to find out!
Haley Mills: Tell me about your background and how you got into designing bars.
Dan Margagliotti: I worked as a commercial carpenter for my brother, who owns a company
that builds large scale projects. I wanted to position myself in the company where I had more of
a role in the creative aspect of the business, unfortunately, it was going to be a really long time
before that happened.
Meanwhile, my friends would ask me to help with small projects that somehow led to me
building them a bar. At the time, I was paid mostly in compliments and beer. So I did a couple of
them, and then a few more, from one friend to the next. My intentions were never to start a
business building bars.
A guy that had a remodeling company had heard about me. He had a client who wanted a bar
but knew nothing about designing or building bars. He explained to me how the client was
looking for more than just cabinets pushed together with a top. I was really nervous to agree
because I had never done this for someone I didn’t know, while if I made a mistake with my
friends, it wasn’t a big deal. Since I was batting 1,000 anyway, I decided to give it a shot. In
order to do the job, however, I had to take time off because it couldn’t just be done in the
evenings and weekends or it would’ve taken me forever.
So I started doing this project, and it went well. My brother and his business partner asked if
they could stop by to check it out. I was nervous because it’s my older brother and one always
sets this expectation.. but when they came down, turned the corner, and saw the bar, they said,
“This is what you should be doing!” From there on out the rest is history. I would have to do
small remodeling projects to fill in the gaps at first, but now, 13 years later, I’m TheBarMaker.
The joke is, if I can’t serve a drink on it, I’m not building it. Which isn’t entirely true..
HM: You have a studio/workspace in the flats?
DM: Yeah, I have a 5,000sqft shop right on collision bend. My shop overlooks that portion of the
river.
HM: How did you end up there?
DM: It was serendipity. I happened to say that I was looking for a shop to the right person and
they put me in touch with the person that led me to the space. I call it pure luck because the
space wasn’t even available. It’s a really cool building that is right aligned with thebarmaker
culture. I’ve been there for two years.
HM: What is one of your favorite projects that you’ve worked on?
DM: That’s a tough question! I would have to say a bar for a specific individual that hired me
and said, Dan, I have no idea what I’m looking for and I don’t even know where to begin with
telling you what I want. I honestly just trust you. They gave me full creative control. People come up to me even to this day and mention how amazing they think it is. It was nerve-wracking to
hope I was getting it right.
HM: That’s very impressive!
DM: Listen, I’m not bragging, I’m impressing myself! For instance, I’m doing a design for
someone who wants me to create this old saloon. The challenge is, he says he wants a classic
saloon with a rustic feel to it. Well, do I design the inside of a saloon or the outside? The inside
would be really refined millwork, with archways and intricate details, while the outside is very
weathered and rustic. I managed to collide the two into a design. I sent it over to him yesterday
and he just sent me back an email saying ‘that’s amazing, let’s do it’. First shot? Ok!
HM: What is the biggest challenge in your business?
DM: That’s an easy question! There’s a huge creative aspect that has to be inserted into my
work. I’m not taking TV’s off the wall and handing them to you that someone else made. I have
to sit down and come up with these designs, and each one has to be different than the last. I’m
not going to make a bar for you and then turn around tomorrow and make it for someone else,
that’s not what people who hire me are looking for. But at the same time, I have to run my
business like a business. In one day, there are two totally different polarities that my brain has to
be working in and that’s the toughest part.
HM: Where do the bars you create end up?
DM: It’s mainly people’s homes. I generally stay away from pursuing work for restaurants and
bars for a couple of different reasons. One of the biggest reasons is that they are usually
working with an architect or an interior designer that has the plan written out and now they are
just getting bids on it. Most of the fun in my work is designing the bar.
HM: Where would you say is your favorite place to go for a date night?
DM: Definitely the east side. I love the east side of Cleveland. I love that you can do a day-date
there, or you can do a nighttime date such as Little Italy. One of my favorite places to go and
have a nice sit-down conversation and a drink is The Fairmount. I love that whole area! There
are so many little nooks and crannies to the east side.
HM: What would you say is your favorite restaurant in Cleveland?
DM: Right now, XYZ hands down. I also recently went to Luca, and I loved it. That’s like a little
hidden gem, too!
HM: Favorite coffee in Cleveland?
DM: Rising Star, right now. I like it in the summertime because I can ride my bike up here from
my shop and do some light paperwork and sit outside.