Almost 10 years after dropping out of North Carolina State University to pursue a startup full time, entrepreneur Kevin Barry is doing something completely different by opening Umbrella Dry Bar in Downtown Raleigh.
Barry and Thad Tarkington founded what would become FilterEasy in 2014 – a filter subscription startup that attracted more than $18 million in outside capital. The pair would later expand beyond filters, divesting the FilterEasy brand and developing Second Nature, selling products and services to property managers.
Tarkington continues to lead Second Nature today. But for Tarkington, the divestment last year seemed to come at a good time. New management had taken over FilterEasy. It had a large warehouse in Wilson. And it was continuing to grow.
Barry said he wanted to grow too. So he started thinking about what life would be like without FilterEasy, the company he’d spent about a decade building.
“I figured it was a good, natural time to move on and do some other things,” he said. He wanted to do something new. But he also wanted to support his personal passions.
Barry, who's been sober for six years, wanted to give back. From that desire came Umbrella Dry Bar, which serves zero-proof cocktails and other alcohol-free beverages. It's located in the former Garland restaurant space on Martin Street.
“It’s totally not start-uppy in any way, shape or form,” Barry said. But he’s finding more similarities than he expected.
“A lot of the things we did for FilterEasy translates,” he said. “It’s about giving people five-star experiences and taking care of them – just in person and not online.”
Barry has more planned for the Umbrella Dry Bar brand. For starters, it’s selling products, such as non-alcoholic wines, through its website.
“I will say this is just the beginning … one piece of the puzzle,” he said.
Barry said the goal is more far reaching than just a local social spot. And the target audience is broader than the sober community, as 66 percent of millennials are consciously choosing to drink less.
Barry also appears to have the support of the entrepreneurship community.
David Gardner, co-founder of Cofounders Capital, was one of FilterEasy’s initial investors. He said Barry came to his house to discuss the bar concept. While he said it’s not a sector he follows, he “would never bet against Kevin.”
“He has a force of will that just makes things happen. And even if this does not work as expected, I’m sure he will pivot into something that does,” Gardner said.
Scot Wingo, founder of the Triangle Tweener Fund, said Barry falls into the category of an entrepreneur where “after you’ve known them for a while, you would basically back them in anything.”
“I doubt he needs investors for Umbrella Bar, but if they do, where do I sign up?” he said.
Umbrella Dry Bar opens Dec. 31 for a New Year’s party and has its official opening Jan. 5. It was cofounded with Meg Paradise, previously a project manager with Whole Foods.
