Florida INSIDEOUT-Spring 2005

Flea Find:

By Tali Jaffe       

Jennie Yip had one month to open and decorate Buck15, a new lounge above her restaurant, Miss Yip Chinese Café, near Lincoln Road in Miami Beach. Pressed for time, she reflected on something her mother had always said—if you like something buy it right away. Yip took that advice to Bill Lutz, better known as Mr. Bill of the Lincoln Road flea market, who spent many hours counseling her on the art of thrifting. Armed with her mother’s advice and that of Mr. Bill, Yip set about furnishing and decorating the new lounge with things from the Douglas Gardens thrift shop in Miami, Hooti Couture in Brooklyn, the Sunrise Flea Market in Sunrise, and from the magnificently preserved 1970s penthouse once owned by the late millionaire Roy J. Carver, at Palm Bay Tower, off Biscayne Boulevard. All this despite the belief, according to Yip, that “it is bad luck in Chinese culture to buy anything used.”

      Although Yip has been in the restaurant industry for more than 10 years, launching the sleek Bond St. Lounge in the Townhouse Hotel on Miami Beach, among other ventures, Buck15 is a departure. The place has the look of your grandmother’s basement (if Florida had any basements), cluttered with sunken couches, porcelain figurines, and furniture that speaks more of history than style.

      But the lounge is crowded at night with folks who gather to talk, have a snack, look at the artwork (changed monthly, and all for sale), and, of course, drink and smoke. Perhaps they are drawn by the familiarity of colors and textures, of the plaid tweed sofa or the night owl lamp ($20), the large Koons-esque cat ($65), and the burnt orange side tables ($75) that were acquired secondhand, or maybe the numerous Japanese toys (.50 to $60 each) that came from Yip’s personal collection.

       Yip and her business partner on this project, Amir Ben-Zion, had a budget of $5,500 for décor and the desire to create an environment that represented the places she has lived and, most importantly, the community of people she has come to know. Beginning in 1990, Yip spent about five years traveling and modeling throughout Bangkok, Tokyo, and Paris.

Six years later she returned to Bangkok to open five restaurants housed within a new department store, Wave, with friend and Paris designer, Christian Liaigre.

 “I have lived a colorful life,” Yip says. “My mother projects, and now this one too, are true to who I am.”  Those other projects include Mercer Kitchen at the Mercer Hotel and APT in New York, and Blue Door at the Delano Hotel in Miami.

            A glass-enclosed shelving unit is littered with toys, shoes, stuffed animals, and art that Yip collected on her travels, particularly during six months in Tokyo in 1990, where she “fell in love with toys.” Yip designed two toys that have not been produced but, according to her, will be someday. “Buck15 is my version of that period of time,” she says. “Having things you love around you all the time, whether it be creative people, objects or furniture—it was the way of life.”

            In addition to the secondhand deals, a few elements of the lounge came at no cost at all, a pleasant surprise that lent itself well to the budget. Yip and Ben-Zion, along with a group of many other vintage vultures, got the opportunity to peek into a pristinely preserved 1970s apartment and dismantle it. In 2004, Bart and Betty Reines became the fourth owners of the Roy J. Carver penthouse. And unlike previous owners, the couple was ready to redecorate. They held a pre-demolition Halloween party and invited some friends to pick away at the veneer that had preserved that space in time for more than 30 years. “Bart loved the idea of Buck15 and wanted to do what he could to help us,” Yip says. “They were generous enough to let us take away whatever we wanted, so long as we could carry it out of there.”

Yip and Ben-Zion recycled a velvety geometric-patterned bedspread into coverings for ottomans, and peeled off Ultrasuede wallpaper from the penthouse’s game room walls to cover the space behind the bar area. The bar itself also came from the apartment but was reshaped from its original straight form into an L-shape thanks to the handiwork of Buck15 manager, Nathan Adams, and a carpenter from Montreal, Stephen Poitras.

        Although the continually evolving décor in Buck15 stands out against the unblemished backdrop of other Miami haunts, it’s not the only thing people are talking about. The bar’s name, much like its interior, is not about perfection, it’s about life. “Buck15 reflects the struggle most artists have to make a living,” Yip says. “Everyone wanted to make a buck so they could pursue their craft and pay the rent. When you make a Buck15, you're doing a little bit better than the next person.” 

LETTER FROM MAX

December 2004

Hi

Sorry I missed you before I left Miami but I had to get back to Brooklyn. I wanted to thank you for everything and I really enjoyed your new spot Buck15!

I haven't had so much fun since we went to APT in New York. I loved everything about your place - what do you call it? a lounge? art gallery? I guess it's a little of both - anyway, it really impressed me. It's so different from the usual Miami nightclub, i.e. no cover and cheap drinks. It must be the only club in South Beach where you can get popcorn and Fritos. Plus there's a good mix of people - hipsters, skate kids, gays, models - all really cool. I felt like I was at a great house party (I wish I could play my stereo that loud at home!) The 70's playroom vibe makes everybody feel relaxed, plus you can sit on a couch near the window and spy on people when they walk by on Lincoln Lane.

I thought the music was great every night - such a variety and not the usual stuff either. I love the idea of a different guest DJ each night and combining old-school hip hop with rock and electro. On Saturday I had a long chat with DJ Maz and she told me how you found the bar and some of the fabrics etc. at a real 70's apartment in Palm Bay Towers that was being renovated. What luck! She also mentioned that some of the furniture came from local flea markets and thrift shops.

And you finally have a chance to show off your collection of toys and Homies. How did you find all 202 of them? I loved the new toys too. I've never seen Bearbricks or Tech Headz before. I think showcasing up-and-coming graffiti artists and new photographers is cool too. I assume you're going to change the art periodically, but I loved the work by Keen One and Elex and Ultra. The graffiti by Jona in the entrance stairwell is fantastic.

Brian told me that you had a big party during Art Basel Miami with FADER Magazine and Puma and that you gave everybody a gold chain with a dollar-sign medallion on New Year's Eve. Is that true?

Love, Max

PS: Is the website up and running yet? I want to add some names to the mailing list. I'll be back in Miami during the Winter Music Conference and will stop by every night.