From the finest flavored tobacco, freshest smoothies, the moist and delicious chocolate cake, and the best pita and hummus in town, Kulture has something to offer everyone. From live music to belly dancers, that’s what hookah life is all about. “Hooked on hookah?” asks Owner Riad aka “Ray” Adieh, on his clever employee tee shirts, and he’s hoping you will in this economic crisis. With live music on Friday and Saturday nights and a disk jockey on Wednesday nights, it’s always a party at Kulture, to get you out of your economic depression.
Ray previously resided in Jacksonville, Fla., before moving to this tourist attraction. I asked Ray, “Why St. Augustine?” he chuckled and said, “Because there ain’t shit to do in this town.” Being a freshman at Flagler College last semester, I know how right he is, but Kulture was a place for those of us, who aren’t that golden age of 21 yet, to have a fun and relaxed place to go hang out, and catch up on the new, up and coming hip culture.
Adieh started his business just shy of a year ago, in St. Augustine Fla., where as he says, “Nothings open past nine in this town”. He wanted to have the Kulture Hookah Lounge as a place for people to go after nine, particularly Flagler students. I asked Ray where he got his inspiration for owning a hookah lounge, and he said, “My back yard. When people come to Kulture I want them to feel at home and relaxed.” As relaxed and funny as Ray is, owning any kind of business takes a lot of hard work and extra effort to get off the ground, especially in this economic state, and it hasn’t been an easy task for Ray.
Construction of the building and following every code the city has in place, has been quite an undertaking for the owner. The city, being a big tourist attraction and vacation spot has a lot of rules and regulations that must be followed. For instance, hanging of decorations or cloth must be less than 20 percent of the total wall, as well as a hefty non-refundable cost of $400 per seat in the lounge and with 36 total seats, thats quite the cost. Along with these tedious policies, another obstacle Adieh faces, is getting his business recognition in the community. With construction still going on a year later, Ray is having a hard time coming up with any extra cash for advertisement.
In a small city like St. Augustine, word travels fast, which is helpful for smaller businesses like Ray's, where owners are simply trying to break even. Before owning Kulture, Adieh has had many other business ventures, which have helped him recognize the in’s and out’s of what it means to run a successful business. Taking on the restaurant business has helped him learn an important lesson, “I like taking bits and pieces of what others do, so I avoid losing money, by learning from their mistakes”. In doing so, Ray hasn’t forgotten about who his customers are, and what they like. Katie Garcia a Flagler student said, “ I love going to see my husband! Just kidding, but Ray already has my pita and hummus ready as I’m pulling my car into the parking lot, it really feels like a little hookah family, and Rays a big reason why.”
What does the future look like for Ray’s little slice of back yard, turned hookah heaven? Ray’s hopeful that the past year of up’s and down’s, regulars and incoming students, that business will pick up. Ray hopes to open up another hookah lounge in Jacksonville Beach, once the economy has risen above water. I am sure Jacksonville Beach will be just as happy to have him, as we are here. Besides once you go to Kulture, you will be “Hooked on hookah”, just as I have become a regular in Ray’s Kulture hookah lounge and plan to keep going back to my little hookah family.
