Paul Gilliam and Mary Oglesby, owners of Cameo and Mary’s Bar of Tropical Escapism, are the new owners of the spaces formerly occupied by Knifebird Wine Bar and The Public Bistro.
“We did not buy their businesses,” Gilliam says. “We are opening new businesses in their spaces.”
Where Knifebird was located at 2155 Central Avenue will now be home to an establishment to be called “No Comment.” — with a period.
Why that name? “We thought it was fun. Kind of sassy. We like fun stuff,” Gilliam says. “Knifebird was a wine bar. And we are going to keep that space a wine bar.”
“The changes will mostly be vibe based and cosmetic,” Oglesby says.
“Fawn” will be the name of the restaurant in the space formerly occupied by The Public Bistro at 937 Cooper Street. Gilliam says they just liked the name. “It sounded warm and cozy.”
“We thought it would fit the vibe of what we’re doing,” Oglesby adds. “We’re very vibe oriented.”
Fawn will be the pair’s first restaurant. “Mary and I are both bartenders, so the places we have opened in the past have been very bar-driven businesses,” Gilliam says. “And this will be a very chef-driven business.”Asked when they will open, Gilliam says, “I would say first half of 2025.”
Oglesby says, “We are aiming for the first half of 2025, but all of that is alway up to licensing and all of that. So, a lot of that is out of our control. So, we just wait on when we’re told by the state that we can open.”
