Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Vincent Cartagine. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Vincent, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear from you about what you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry and why it matters.

I would not say Corporate America gets is wrong but they do have a miss understanding about what we do here at The Chillroom. We server botanical teas, root drink, botanical cocktails that still provide a mood change or buzz. Just in a more natural way or an easier process for the body to digest instead of relying on an intoxicating feeling and impairment that alcohol provides users to unwind with.

Alcohol is so ingrained as the only way to relax or only way to have a good time out with your friends/family. That other better or even more powerful alternatives are tossed aside because of the miss understanding on what we are providing, or what the internet has said some of these alternatives could do to you. Like everything else, Google is a powerful tool to get the know how on certain things. But in regards to these alternatives, always to talk to people that handle these items day to day and have the understanding about what they can do for you.

We created this space as a gateway for people see what is out there besides alcohol and best practices to have a good time. Just without the pitfalls of a hangover, over drinking to where you are not able to get home safely and providing a safe space for people to let lose and enjoy themselves. Without having to say well alcohol made me forget the night but i guess i had fun. It is a sober environment with a buzz twist but still being able to handle yourself and interact with others and remember what occurred to continue to have a fun night every time you come to The Chillroom.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

The Chillroom is a family ran business and it starts with our cousins Robert, Lynn, Jessica and Joey Cartagine in Florida. Florida is a leader in the United States in regards to finding an alcohol alternative or having it regularly accessible to people trying to start a new or just trying to find something different without needing alcohol to be the catalyst to a good time.

They started The Chillroom as a way to bring those people together in Lake Worth, Lake Worth beach and Saint Pete. We here in Tempe Arizona, decided to join them in their quest to provide great quality products for the best possible experience with alcohol alternatives and grow our own community of like minded people.

I myself, Vincent one of the owners, was a bar guy through and through. Loved going out with my friends, drinking all afternoon/night because that is what is normal and accessible to everyone here in Arizona. The opportunity came to us in 2019 when Robert and Lynn visited Arizona and told us about their new bar and what it has done for them as a family and the community they have built. Me being an alcohol guy did not understand the idea of having a bar without alcohol. All I could see was people drinking sugar drinks and just being around each other with no real mood change or lift to justify being in a bar with a bunch of strangers to watching the minutes tick down. Then my brother Anthony and I went to Florida to see for ourselves what they “hype” was.

After seeing it in person, talking to people about what they been through on their sober journey, how The Chillroom has helped them curb their alcohol/drug dependency and finding a new place to hangout with out that draw of alcohol in their face. My mind was changed and i could see what all the “hype” was about and what it can do for a city, community and the people that just do not want to be around alcohol when they are going out. Unfortunately, 2020 hit the entire world hard so plans were halted.

2022 came and we decided to take another look at possibly opening our own location in Arizona and see what it would take to bring this type of place to Arizona. I decided to move to Florida at the end of 2022 and learn as much as I could to open The Chillroom and bring this great idea to others that want something different and be a safe haven to all that come to our location.

We officially opened our doors in October of 2023 and have not looked back. We try to emulate a usual bar you see just to make it an easy transition for people and create that luster or wanting to be in the new and now spot for our community. The main goal was to provide quality products, be in the know how about what new products are coming and trying to provide the best bar service we could to a untapped market to make their transition to alcohol free living as easy as possible,

The pitfalls of running a new business like this in a state that is still heavily ingrained in alcohol, is teaching people what is out there. Like anything new, you have people that are still looking for their old reliable source of relaxation but the few that try it and see what is out there. It helps them get a better understanding about what is out there and the place to get what is new and on the cutting edge of alcohol free drinks.

We are very proud of what we have created and the community that has come to our door and see what we see when it comes to a place that does not need alcohol to thrive. A lot of people have made this place their home away from home. Being able to bring others that have helped grow the community but we are looking for more people to join in on what is an ever growing business through out Arizona and the United States.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

The pivot from working in sales/customer help to being a business owner is a tricky one. Going from being told this is your schedule, KPIs and what you need to do business wise to grow within the company. To doing everything yourself, not having someone to truly guide you when something changes or when a major set back comes up. How do you deal with it in a career space completely unknown to you and how to grow from there.

You always have that urge to branch out on your own and do something that is 100% under your control because that is every persons dream. The real issue with that is when it does come apart, or a major set back come up. How do you deal with it? There are not a lot of people you can turn to for advice when it is a new business idea. All you can do rely on yourself and business partners you have to figure out new strategies and get to the ultimate goal.

A big challenge now has been when do you take time for yourself in a business that can only run when you are there or getting it to a level that it can self sustain with the help of employees. The letting go aspect has been the toughest meaning. When you turn the business over to employees to run the spot while you are away to get a personal life or explore new business ideas.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

The big obstacle we have had to over come has been teaching a new audience of a new product and that it is worth spending their hard earned money on. Everyone knows what alcohol is and it has been engrained into people that it is the ultimate way to relax from a hard day or get the party started, It is our job to show people that you can still have a good time without alcohol or even a better time considering you are able to remember your night, the laughs with new people and connect on a different level.

It has been the hardest part but when you are able to break through and see their minds change about the alternatives. You know you did your job and created a new space for someone looking to escape or just have another option instead of the same old same old.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thechillroomtempe.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechillroomtempeaz/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0A-Xf0nj_bSpFSlP7KjszQiJT75wfVXweFcMIMeNj3uvFuVWibaw-mMnY_aem_dBbblykskZsi2gd97TYSJA
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thechillroomtempeAZ
• Yelp: https://www.facebook.com/thechillroomtempeAZ