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This one hurts to write.

December of 2025 will be the last of my time at The Vintage Whiskey and Cigar Bar and corresponding ventures.

For the last five years, I have poured my heart and soul into hospitality concepts in the Charlotte area under the umbrella of Menagerie Hospitality, as well as GW Hospitality once Dan retired. From Figo36 Modern Italian to The Wine Loft, The Vintage Whiskey and Cigar Bar to Elsewhere Cocktail Bar, creating memorable experiences for guests (and enjoyable workplaces for staff) has been an overwhelming highlight to my professional career.

When this all started, Chelsea and I were newly married in the midst of a pandemic simply trying to navigate the chaos of life around us. Dan and Sean took a chance in late Fall 2020 on a guy with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, and the rest is history. I cannot say enough about past and present staff, vendors, and guests of each establishment – whether those businesses are still in operation today or not, the memories created on each shift will be looked back on fondly for years to come.

The creativity poured into live music sets, menu creations, humidor presentations, brand assets, and so much more… serves as a reminder that when hospitality teams are set up for success, the opportunities are near limitless. At the core of it all, my goal has been to create a haven for industry folk who want to reinvent themselves, reminding them of the reasons why they are so passionate about this line of work. With that theme in mind, the end result also allowed us to start and support our little family that God has blessed us with – there are hardly any roles in hospitality groups that would have that same ability without sacrificing much more in the work/life balance. We have seen employees recover from tough financial situations to end up starting their own businesses, overcome trauma from past work experiences to thriving inside of a supportive structure (and get recognized regionally / nationally for it), heck we’ve even seen a bunch of folks fall in love thanks to our efforts.

Nevertheless, everyone reaches that moment where tougher decisions have to be made. When a precious child asks why I can’t tuck her in bed that night and have to say our prayers over FaceTime instead, it pulls my heartstrings in every possible direction. When life’s curveballs continue to force changes in plans to catch up with dear friends who help keep each other grounded (or even plan the occasional date night), it starts begging the question of whether the time has come to make an adjustment to better my own situation… even if it may mean stepping away from a group that I truly consider my second family, a concept that is my home away from home.

I am grateful that I have found an opportunity to continue developing several of these relationships in a different capacity, which I will share more about later. For now, I simply want to express the gratitude in my heart: to Dan and anyone who has put in time on our teams, to Sean and anyone who has contributed their artistic talents in our spaces, to every single person who saw value in becoming an annual member and frequenting our concepts, to every single vendor who helped bring our ideas to life through their portfolios and contributing visions. I hope each of us will help The Vintage and similar small businesses continue to grow in our own unique ways, and look forward to having some time to catch up with you all outside of the workplace soon.

I hope you all know how hard of a decision this is, that it is one being made in hopes of bettering my family / friendships / faith and so much more while continuing to play some part (though in admission, a much smaller one) in helping these places become the best at what they do. We have accomplished so much together as a community that formed at a moment in time when one was desperately needed, and I will cherish that aspect for the rest of my days. This is simply a change so that I can cherish the timing of seeing these little ones reach new milestones, to take my bride out on the town once more, to throw one back with some friends – which are all overdue.

Until we cut, light, and connect again…

– Ben

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Chasing that *almost* indescribable feeling.

When the water in the shower hits the perfect temperature to wake you up in the best mood.

When you hug your significant other as you walk in the door and smell their scent, the one you became obsessed with.

When the air hits your face just right as you put the car on cruise near the ocean.

When the blanket is tucked perfectly around you on the couch, letting the white noise of the television lead you into dreamland.

When a friend makes you laugh so hard, it makes all the worries of the day run right off your shoulders.

When you experience something so powerful – someone’s birth, someone’s death, someone’s conversion, someone’s recovery… that it brings you to tears.

When the grease of your family’s comfort food hits your gut and tells you that the time has come for a delightful food coma.

When a stranger approaches you and commends you on a job well done… even though you had no idea they were paying attention to your work.

The smell of freshly cut grass as you wander outside to throw a ball around with the family member you don’t get to see nearly enough.

Sitting on a porch swing with a loved one, letting the stress of the day fade away into the constant and reassuring rocking back and forth with your confidante.

To the friends who are battling to stay mentally healthy, I hope you know that you are not alone. There are so many moments worth getting up and starting your day for – don’t let the dark thoughts of depression and anxiety get in your way of experiencing them. It sounds like a major hurdle to open up and talk about it with someone, but I am always a simple message or call away whenever you’re ready.

Now – go chase that feeling.

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Oh, Beantown.

As I prepare to go back to New England for a true summer weekend, some thoughts from the past couple years continue to creep back into my mind… so naturally, I thought I would share them with my peers.

Friends and foes alike loved asking the question “why not move home” as I started a brand new life on my own again in Boston in 2017. Having only been there a year and facing a daunting task of filing for an annulment from several states away, I certainly couldn’t have been blamed for going back south to be closer to family and friends. That being said – looking back, I’m so glad I grew stubborn in my response to stay put and reinvent the wheel in an area I was only starting to get to know. The challenge of truly applying myself in the city was a welcome one, and I embraced the idea of making new friends while overcoming different challenges I wouldn’t have the chance of experiencing back home.

Unlike the ever-evolving landscape of Charlotte, Boston’s identity has been established for a long time – and honestly, that applies to much of New England as a whole. As you enter each suburb, there isn’t much of a secret in terms of the history of the people who live there and how you might expect them to treat you. To the “outside world”, they can be perceived as cold and heartless… and when I first arrived, the lack of knowledge when it came to the different terms used regionally as well as not knowing proper pronunciation of the towns… we can safely say that I was getting all the looks an outsider should have.


However, as I worked my territory in software sales, I came to realize that most of the crowd was putting up a wall out of instinct until they knew what to truly expect from someone. As long as you approached them with honest intentions and didn’t beat around the bush (things other parts of the country are clearly very well known for), they would drop that wall and extend the olive branch to you to potentially create a loyal bond for life. From Medford to Belmont to Waltham, my residences each year gave me a chance to befriend citizens from all walks of life, and really appreciate the different definitions of family and friendship that others in the same ol’ US of A call home.


The concept of being far away from family and friends in a challenging time scares a lot of people away from even entertaining the idea, and I get it. Some need that support structure there physically, and I’m not saying there weren’t moments when I craved the feeling of home. Thankfully, there were several people who became integral to my success daily in the Boston area, who weren’t afraid to give it to me straight while motivating me to reach my full potential at the same time. I will forever be grateful for having spent three quality years in a region that constantly inspired me to put my skills and creativity to the test daily and prove my worth in any given area. To experience career and relationship changes in an unfamiliar place is a thrill ride I won’t encourage everyone to get in line for… but just know that it most definitely continued to mold me into the positive and optimistic person I strive to be.


If you haven’t gotten the chance to go up to New England for a weekend, don’t just take my word for it. From Portlane, ME to Burlington, VT – Newport, RI to Cape Cod, the options for an amazing experience (to be fair, I would encourage timing it between April-October for weather purposes) are essentially endless if you wander outside of Boston. While that might intrigue you… the foodie in me craves pasta freshly made in the North End, a massive steakbomb from Bob’s, straight out the boat sushi from Monkfish, late night stuffed rice balls from Bova’s, hazy juicy IPA’s from the local watering holes… and plenty of sights to take in around town to walk it all off.


Boston – from getting me to enjoy the energy of slinging drinks again to playing music with some of the most talented people I have ever met, trying every kind of cuisine to jumping out of a perfectly good plane – you may always have the most entertaining chapter of my book.