An Historic Coconut Grove Landmark Is Due For Revival

A big reason Ugo Di Roma is so proud to be a Coconut Grove Hair Salon is the local community’s rich cultural scene, which rich reflects a long and proud heritage. One of the most iconic and enduring legacies of this history is the Coconut Grove Playhouse, one of the area’s more recognizable landmarks.

Built in 1927, the theatre was long one of Miami’s main cultural centers, hosting a variety of plays, musicals, and other performances. Since closing in 2007, it has fallen into disrepair and neglect, with many fearing it will never recover.

Now, a team led by Coconut Gove-based Arquitectonica has won a competition to design a master plan for reviving the venerable playhouse. As The Miami Herald reported:

The recommendation by the office of Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, which must be ratified by the county commission, marks a major step in a long-running effort to reopen the theater, a major cultural and architectural landmark as well as an economic linchpin for Coconut Grove.

But it could also lay the groundwork for contention over the future of the historic but deteriorated Mediterranean-style building, which is a designated city of Miami landmark and is legally protected from demolition. Some Grove activists and preservationists are demanding the theater be renovated and reused, but fear the county process would result in a recommendation that it be entirely or partly demolished.

The design team, which also includes architect Jorge Hernandez, a prominent preservationist, would make a recommendation on what to do with the theater. The county, which has $20 million set aside for the theater’s renovation or reconstruction, wants the consultants to determine whether the publicly owned site can accommodate a small, 300-seat theater and a second, larger theater as well as a parking garage.

Arquitectonica’s team includes acclaimed theatrical consultant Fisher Dachs Associates, while the revitalization efforts are being led by the county government and Florida International University, which currently owns the property. GableStage, which currently operates at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, is slated to run the playhouse.

Given the major role in plays in Coconut Grove’s history and identity, expect a lot of attention and debate to follow this decision. Ugo Di Roma looks forward to seeing this signature landmark returned to its former glory.

If you would like to pay a visit to our Hair Salon Coconut Grove, contact 305.444.4661 or info@ugodiroma.com.

Get Ready For The Coconut Grove Arts Festival!

As a locally-oriented Coconut Grove Hair Salon, Ugo Di Roma has always taken an interest in the vibrant culture and lifestyle of our beautiful neighborhood. That is why we are excited about the coming Coconut Grove Arts Festival (Feb. 14-16), one of South Florida’s biggest and most exciting annual events.

This lively celebration of the arts offers nearly one mile of artworks, crafts, food, and entertainment, running along the streets of McFarlane Road, South Bayshore Drive and Pan American Drive. The event runs from 10am and to 6pm. General admission is $15 per person per day; children 12 and under, and holders of Patriot Passports or Metrorail Golden Passports, can enter for free.

More than 360 artists from our community and around the world will showcase and sell their works, representing a variety of genres and mediums; these include mixed media, painting, photography, digital art, printmaking & drawing, watercolor, claywork, glass, fiber, jewelry & metalwork, sculpture and wood. There is something for every taste and interest, and the weather is predicted to be beautiful to boot! 

The Coconut Grove Arts Festival is produced by the Coconut Grove Arts and Historical Association, a non-profit community organization that also maintains the Coconut Grove Arts Festival Gallery and the Hunter Gallery, which each exhibit art throughout the year.

Proceeds from the festival help fund year-round art programs for Miami-Dade youth seeking an art education. Since the very first festival in 1963, over $100,000 has been awarded to students who attend fine arts programs in local schools. Additionally, the festival also stimulates the local economy by attracting tourists and providing a spillover of visitors to Coconut Grove’s commercial venues, such as those on CocoWalk.

In short, this is an excellent time to enjoy a rich cultural excursion while supporting your local community. Events like this are why Ugo Di Roma is proud to be a Hair Salon Coconut Grove. Feel free to pay us a visit at our nearby location on 2801 Florida Ave, or contact us at 305-444-4661 or info@ugodiroma.com.

Tiki Horror Nights in the Grove's Blue Starlite Drive-In Theater

Coconut Grove is a historical lush community that offers luxury and quirkiness at the same time, that's why it is so fitting that the Starlite Drive-In movie theater be located at the Coconut Grove Playhouse. And now the Startlite Drive-In will be presenting quite a unique series with Tiki Horror Nights, described as a live version of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

This series is the creation of Robert V. Burr from Rob's Rum Guide and the Rum Renaissance Festival, and Andre Lazo, who both have a special place in their hearts for B-movies that have ninjas, massive spiders, and killer botany from outer space, all of which are filmed with the lowest budget possible.

Every movie played for the series will be paired with two tiki drinks, which will be expertly curated by Robert Burr, each drink made to match the film of the night with the drink being made by the Grove's Taurus bar. In the future, there will also be guest bartenders that will be able to come up with their own takes on tiki drinks.

Another aspect of the series is that, Burr and Lazo will be providing commentary onto the soundtrack, since sometimes most of the fun of watching these type of films is commentating on the expertly ridiculous going-ons of the films. Though, one also has the option to watch the film without the commentary.

The event started on January 14, with a special invite-only performance and the first event that will be open to the public will be on January 22 at 7 p.m.  with a showing of Strange Brew, a classic beer comedy.

This series is sure to bring fun to the community and as always, it's great to see the very unique events that go on in the Grove.

If you need services from a Hair Salon in Coconut Grove, contact Ugo Di Roma at (305)444-4461.

A Historical Coconut Grove Home is Saved from Demolition

Coconut Grove is a community with quite a history, and presently there are some historical architectural gems that fill this area. Such was the case for a 3,000 square foot home in the Grove. The home that features a Spanish-tiled roof is located at 3529 Saint Garden Rd. The home features the lushness that Cocount Grove is famous for and recently, this historical home has been the focus on some disputes in the community.

The Saint Gardens house was designed by Kiehnel & Elliot, a Pittsburgh-based architectural firm, while the home itself was built by architect Albert W. Frantz.

The home is thought by some to be a landmark of Kiehnel's style, as the architect is known to introduce the popular Mediterranean Aesthetic to Miami. This firm was also responsible for the structures for Carrolton School for the Sacred Heart, which has similarities to the Garden Road's home. 

The home, which was built in the 1920s, was recently bought by Eduardo Goudie, a real estate developer, who bought the home for almost 1.6 million. Though, when the developer stated that his plans were to demolish the house to redevelop the land, the community was resistant to the decision and as soon as Goudie's plans were made public, some of the residents of the Grove put together a campaign to preserve this historical home

The campaign was led by Save the Grove which is an organization made up of neighboring homeowners. Save the Grove was able to nominate the home to the Historic Designation with the City of Miami, since if a structure becomes a historic designation, it would not be able to be drastically altered or torn down.

Thus far, Save the Grove won the first round and succeeded in temporarily halting the demolition plans for the home.

We at Ugo Di Roma are very proud of the history and the historical structures that fill the beautiful Coconut Grove community. For services from a Hair Salon at Coconut Grove, contact us at (305)444-4461. 

The Latest New in Our Coconut Grove Community

As a Coconut Grove Hair Salon, we like to keep up with events and activities within the community, and so we are very excited to share with you some great happenings in the Grove, which support very important causes.

One great cause that is very close to our hearts is the Boys & Girls Clubs, and for over 35 years, the Boys & Girls Clubs have been selling Christmas trees and wreaths to help raise money for their programs and this year is no different!

The wreaths and Christmas trees will be sold on Monday, November 24 at Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade's Hank Kline Club (2805 SW 32 Avenue), starting at 9 am and will be open several days a week from then until Christmas until 9 pm every night.

One hundred percent of the proceeds from tree and wreath sales will benefit the clubs, which serves thousands of boys and girls in Miami-Dade County with great programs throughout the year.

Another amazing cause is FEAST Miami (Funding Emerging Art with Sustainable Tactics), which is a meals-based micro-funding project in which there are pop-up dinners at art venues to financially support new and emerging creative projects. FEAST Miami is giving artists and small arts organizations the opportunity to submit a simple proposal for an art project at feastmiami.org by December 10.

Sunday, February 1, at 1 pm will be the third FEAST Miami, held at Fairchild Tropical Garden. FEAST Miami is supported by Knight Foundation's Knight Arts Challenge, in order to bring food and art together and thereby creating community. Projects should aim to be innovative, feasible and impact the community. You can find applications on feastmiami.org.

There is also another great art related happening, the Happy Wall, an interactive public art installation that asks people to take a piece of chalk and answer the question, "What makes YOU happy?" The Happy Wall is headed to Coconut Grove this holiday season, with the very large chalkboard structure being unveiled on November 29 at Cocowalk. The wall is for all to enjoy and everyone is invited to participate during it's 35 day run.

The idea of this wall was inspired by writer and Happiness Advocate, Hannah Sentenac's experience with depression and anxiety and her road to a happier, healthier life.

We hope you partake in these excellent upcoming events, and for a Hair Salon in Coconut Grove, contact Ugo Di Roma at (305)444-4461.

The Miami Fine Wine and Spirits Festival is Coming This Weekend

As a long-established Coconut Grove Hair Salon, Ugo Di Roma is proud of our vibrant community and its rich cultural and recreational scene. That is why we are excited to announce that the Miami Fine Wine & Spirits Festival will be taking place this weekend, November 22 and 23, taking place in Coconut Grove's Peacock Park.

This annual festival gives the public an opportunity to sample, buy, learn, and enjoy all things having to do with fine wine and spirits.

The festival is comprised of seven shows taking place in the VIP pavilion, fine wine & spirits pavilion, culinary, chocolate and desert pavilions, with live cooking demonstrations sponsored by Florida Builders Appliances, also including a music stage sponsored by Prohibition Restaurant Miami, plus seminars for pairing and testing.

Free samples will be offered by beer, wine, and spirit vendors, not to mention plenty of chocolate, dessert, and culinary dishes. The Wine & Spirits Festival will have almost 100 booths to choose from representing 80 big-name providers.

Along with the focus on wine and spirits, the festival will be featuring a fine chocolate pavilion, which is an air conditioned tent with over 20 fine chocolatiers, offering you the best and freshest chocolates.
The culinary pavilion will also feature 30 restaurants, gourmet foods as well as non-edible food products like gourmet knives and decorative kitchen knives. Plus, the demonstrative stage will showcase the gourmet talents of local and world class chefs.

For an upscale experience, the VIP Pavilion offers an all inclusive package of beer, wine and spirits, food, music, private restrooms, valet, and a private area.
As you can see, there is a lot to love about Coconut Grove. That is why we are proud to be the community’s premier Hair Salon and Spa. If you would like to stop in for world-class treatment with a local touch, contact Ugo Di Roma at (305) 444-4461.

Relax With Our Wide Selection of Massages

While Miami is a tropical paradise that many flock from around the world to visit for rest and relaxation, locals can enjoy its lush beaches and warm climate year-round. However, just because we live in a relaxing oasis does not mean we have the ability to enjoy it. In fact, living in Miami can be quite stressful. Between our hectic work schedules, long commutes stuck in rush hour traffic, busy social calendars, taking care of our families, running errands and so much more, there’s little to no free time for us to rest and relax.

For many who need a moment to take a breather, their method of choice is a trip to spa to enjoy a relaxing massage. There are many benefits to enjoying a massage: not only does a massage allow you to escape the troubles of the day and clear your mind from all of the stresses of the days, but it will also help soothe aches and pains throughout the bodies in addition to other

At Ugo di Roma Hair Salon Coconut Grove, we offer a wide variety of massages that will cater to your every need. With massages available in 30, 60 and 90 minute durations, you can find a massage that can fit into your busy schedule. Among our most popular massages is the aromatherapy massage, which involves rubbing the skin with aromatic essential oils in a rhythmic technique to ease sore muscles.

For those looking with muscle fatigue or chronic pain, we recommend our Deep Tissue massage will features deep compressions and strokes to treat specific muscles in a way that will help ease pain and tightness. For a more relaxing message, consider our Hot Stone Massage that will help alleviate stress and pressure with the use of warm and cool stones.

If you want to have a massage that promotes wellness, consider our lymphatic drainage massage; this massage will uses light touches in coordinated movements that help promote a healthy lymphatic and immune system. For a more traditional massage, consider our popular Swedish Massage, a full body massage that will balance circulation while helping soothe tired muscles.

Whatever massage you choose,  you will know you are in the right hands. Not only do we offer massages but Ugo di Roma also offers a number of spa treatments as well. As the top Coconut Grove Hair Salon, we also offer leading hairstyling and hair care services by top stylists. To learn more about our services, browse our website or call (305) 444-4661.