We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kevin Carolla a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Kevin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. One of the toughest things about entrepreneurship is that there is almost always unexpected problems that come up – problems that you often can’t read about in advance, can’t prepare for, etc. Have you had such and experience and if so, can you tell us the story of one of those unexpected problems you’ve encountered?
Most unexpected problems were in our building phase in particular dealing with the historical district of Charlotte. They regulate what fixtures can be put on your building as well as the size of your sign in the position of it. This includes any exterior verbiage on the entire building as well as anything as small as electrical outlets. It was kind of a shock that All these building guideline are regulated by the historical district Rather than the city zoning laws.
Kevin, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I got into the bar at 18 Years old. I worked in a few college bars and then moved on to restaurants. For many years specialized on the Barre side of everything And worked on mastering the craft of bartending and training others to bartend and steps of service. After about 10 years, I started learning the food side of things. Horseshoe is the first bar and restaurant That I developed the food menu for. I think the thing that sets us apart as a mom and Pop bar, we can cater to individual needs on a case to case basis. In other words and event can be tailored to the likings of the guest. This is also been the most challenging part because we don’t have the luxury of the bigger company that can use their marketing reach to Existing clients. However, our focus on individuality Gives us a competitive advantage on those corporate restaurants.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I actually went to rehab in 2015 as a result Of my alcohol abuse. Struggles with the decision to stay in the industry or not, Because so many people said it wasn’t possible to be in the atmosphere. I’m always in maintaining my sobriety.. I haven’t had a drop of alcohol in almost 7 years and I am in the atmosphere every single day. Proved to the many that it is possible.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
My business partner and I met in high school. His father actually owns sports bar in my hometown of Rome, New York. We remain friends as we attended the same college, James, Being two years Junior to me. Falling cage, he moved to Vegas for 11 years while I laid my roots in Charlotte. He moved to Charlotte 2016 and we became roommates as we opened a beer and Hall for a small Owners group In downtown Charlotte. Late 2017. James opened his own bar in Southend Charlotte called the Brickyard. His first establishment took off right away due to the shift and nightlife in the downtown area post Covid as well as all the potential new clients that move to all the new housing in the immediate area.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.thehorseshoeclt.com
- Instagram: @thehorseshoeclt
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/BPiWPN5nC3HiRTi3/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-carolla-05524b143?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
- Twitter: https://x.com/kevrolla?s=11
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/_oi2dg_ymx8?si=uvCuLkUyJWffaJpA
- Yelp: https://yelp.to/2Upm0_wAUj
- Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/rQ4FqoTDifTyC1So6
