Poetic pros, bibliophiles, striving artists, film buffs, intellectuals, and even the average business person with a taste for scotch—these are the people you’ll find dwelling in Fort Lauderdale’s FAT Village on any given day. But where do the creative cliques hang when the weekend comes?
Masked inside a warehouse, C&I Studios operates day in and day out as a design, audio, and film production studio. Take a little detour and swing a left to find Next Door at C&I Studios, a hidden gem for those looking for an inconspicuous hideout from the overwhelming bar scene on Himmarshee Street. Stumbling on the event space is like discovering a time machine. Vintage details from Brownie cameras to antique frames lay scattered around, making you feel as if you’ve stumbled into a stranger’s attic.
Face the bar and you’ll be whisked away into literary enchantment as you marvel over more than 3,000 novels; neatly stacked in a sweeping bookshop. Take a seat and grab a notebook where you’ll find the handwritten drinks named after literary geniuses like Edgar Allan Poe, Emily Dickenson and Mark Twain. Care to thumb through a copy of “The Sun Also Rises” while drinking an Ernest Hemingway-inspired cocktail? Just ask a bartender to take down a copy from the expansive C&I Studios library—these books are for your reading pleasure.
With monthly FATVillage Art Walks, open mic nights, and weekly Tuesday movie nights held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., the bar certainly keeps a nightlife reputation. Stop by C&I Studios in the day and find just as pleasant of a scene—Brew Urban Cafe has opened up shop in the space to create a fitting environment to peacefully study, read a classic and enjoy a delicious coffee creation from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Up your dose of culture and socialize with the city’s most innovative game changers in an environment that’s intimate enough to make you feel as if you’re part of an exclusive society of cool. Visit Next Door at C&I Studios at 537 NW First Avenue and find more information at Facebook.com/CIStudios.
