Hidden Gems: Meet Leslie Matista of The Velvet Hippo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Leslie Matista.

Hi Leslie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. 
I started in the hospitality industry as a teenager and became a bartender about 20 years ago. I’ve had the opportunity to work in pretty much every setting hospitality has to offer at this point – from neighborhood dives to high-end cocktail bars and nightclubs to Five Star wedding venues, often at the same time! I love the variety that working more than one job affords you. It also allows you to meet people from every walk of life in a way you never would in a traditional office setting. A lot of people fall out of love with their chosen career after 20 years, but the constant variety and diversity of connections I’ve made behind the bar has kept me infatuated with this work. 

I’ve always known I wanted to open my own bar, where I could create the environment, I’d always wanted to work in — taking the best parts of every job I’ve had and combining them for a team of professionals in a space that felt like my own. As ironic as it may be, the COVID-19 pandemic was actually a big part of making that dream a reality. It was devastating at the time because our industry was so heavily impacted, but it did give me and my now-business partners the time and space to take a step back and think strategically about the future in a way that we had always been too busy with the everyday to do. 

What started off as a wishful conversation over the years among our now-partnership really began to take shape in 2021 when we went on some exploratory real estate tours and started putting pen to paper about what it would actually take to make this dream real. My sister Sarah, my now-wife Claire, her sister Amy, and a close friend to all of us, Alison, joined forces financially, creatively, and legally over many video calls, and eventually, The Velvet Hippo became official. 

Fast forward past the many months of lease negotiations, calls to lenders, construction setbacks, and all of the hoops required to open a bar, and we found ourselves stocking the shelves of our gorgeous custom-made curly maple bar on my birthday — a year to the day since we’d signed our lease for the tucked-away rooftop on Orange Street in Downtown Durham. 

Our grand opening on August 5th, 2023, was a success beyond what we had imagined or even hoped for. Looking back on it, I can attribute that to a number of obvious factors — the rooftop location, a summertime opening in a booming part of the city, etc. — but one thing that I know has kept this momentum up all these months is the diversity of guests we attract. I have had the pleasure of making hundreds of regulars from every walk of life in all those different spaces over the years, and they’ve been so incredible in their support. Aside from all of our friends and family, they are the most loyal patrons who faithfully spread the word about us, and I’m so grateful for that. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
One of the biggest challenges you encounter opening a new business — especially one with as ambitious of a design transformation as ours had — is managing timelines. Getting licenses required construction completion, construction completion required financial deadlines, financial deadlines required licenses — it was pretty circular at one point. And it’s hard to start promoting something when you don’t know the opening date, but you have to start promoting it, so the opening is successful. 

And all the while, you have to hire a team, many of whom need to put in notice with their former employer based on when you tell them they can start with you. It was very challenging, but my partners and I were lucky that we had the opportunity to hire a fantastic group of people who stuck it out through the uncertainty — almost all of whom are still with us today. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Velvet Hippo?
The Velvet Hippo is a neighborhood bar that feels like the bar from CHEERS and looks like a tropical weekend getaway. We have a warm and welcoming ambiance with a chill vibe that has a little something for everyone. From craft cocktails to favorite local beers to a large non-alcoholic menu, we want everyone to feel welcome with us. We have about the same amount of outdoor space as indoors, so there are plenty of different seating areas for groups to enjoy together or couples to tuck away in. Our interior was really thoughtfully designed and has elements that reflect every member of our partnership. We get a lot of great feedback about the design and the environment inside, and of course, people really appreciate the rooftop space in the city. We even have Yappy Hours on Saturday and Sunday from 12 pm-6 pm when people can bring well-socialized dogs to enjoy the day with them. 

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
This might sound a little cheesy, but you’d probably get the same answer out of a lot of people who own a bar. What makes me happy is making other people happy. Hospitality is very hard work, but for the right kind of person, that hard work balances out with the pleasure of seeing people enjoying the experience you’ve created for them. Delighting people with a drink they’ve never tried, surprising them with a little something on their birthday, remembering someone’s name — these are the basics of hospitality. But owning your own establishment takes that to a whole new level. Anytime you hear someone compliment the bar or see them stop and appreciate some design element, or watch them have a great interaction with a member of your team…it’s honestly the best feeling in the world. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.velvethippodurham.com
• Instagram: velvethippodurham
• Facebook: velvethippodurham

Image Credits
Amy Paulson
Sarah Matista
Alison Domnas
Claire Lyons
Leslie Matista
Amy Lyons