Here’s a excerpt from a lovely writeup in the Port City Daily:
The same attention to detail has been given to launching Seabird at the right time. Originally slated to open in 2020, the process has taken a bit longer. Neff has been working with Raleigh developer James Goodnight, who owns the building at 1 South Front Street.
“James is very much into bringing these old buildings back to a better state,” Neff said. “He made me feel really good about the whole relationship when he said, ‘I think a restaurant is the perfect thing for this building because it will allow the maximum amount of people to enjoy the space.’”
They sought the help of Old School Rebuilders of Wilmington, Maurer Architecture of Raleigh, and Atlanta designer Smith Hanes to bring the space to life and make it “feel like Wilmington.”
Light blue-greys and ox-blood red will color the walls, mixed in with creamy tiles. Local art by Janette Hopper and Lindy Schoenborn will permanently decorate it, as accent draperies will be hand-crafted by local seamstress Susan Covington.
“You know, it’s a community space,” Neff said. “We wanted to include as many people locally as we could.”
