Daniel May has been organizing community celebrations in Kalamazoo for years, including a Juneteenth bar crawl that made a big impression. “There was a lack of space for People of Color to feel safe and comfortable,” he realized. So he created that space.

Dabney & Co., a downtown Kalamazoo cocktail lounge, pays homage to the Black mixologists and service staff “who built this industry,” May said, like John Dabney, a slave who bought his freedom with tips he made creating “hailstorm” mint juleps.

“All of this is because of the ancestors who are always with us,” May told Now Kalamazoo. “I couldn’t have imagined being only five generations removed from slavery that I would be in this position to open up a bar named after an enslaved individual who was able to turn heartache and horror into his own business.”

Massive amounts of talent and hustle – and support from Northern Initiatives – helped May open Dabney & Co. in 2022. He was intentional every part of creating the business, from designing the drinks to the hiring of the staff.

“We want to re-do the food and beverage industry,” he said. He said part of doing that is paying a substantial, livable wage in an industry where workers are often exploited. The base pay for staff at Dabney & Co. is $16 per hour, compared to $3.75 per hour, which is the state minimum for tipped workers. A 20% gratuity is automatically added to each bill.

But wages are just one part of May’s staffing philosophy. “We want the staff to reflect the community, and we want them to work for the success of Dabney & Co., not be incentivized to push higher sales.”

Teo Gramatnikovski is a Kalamazoo College student from the Republic of North Macedonia and he wasn’t even looking for a job when he went to Dabney & Co. with friends. He fell in love with the craft cocktails and the atmosphere, and saw an opportunity to take his bartending skills to a new level. “[Daniel] offered me a chance to become a part of a team. He helps us as people progress personally and professionally.”

Chef Miguelita Gonzalez said the family dynamic pulled her in. “As soon as we sat down, everyone was sharing.”
May extends that atmosphere to the clientele and Kalamazoo itself.

“What’s beautiful about Dabney and Company is that it is a full embodiment of the work that we have done in this community over the last few years of creating elevated spaces for People of Color and allies alike to join together and have a great time,” May told MLive.

The five-year process of starting Dabney & Co. would be a grind for anyone, but May grinds harder than most. He’s not only kept his full-time job as a pricing analyst, but received his MBA in Business Analytics and Entrepreneurship in May 2023. He taught himself interior design and graphic design, and visited the bar twice a day for four months straight during construction.

Daniel May worked as a Sales Support Specialist at the nation’s 10th Largest Food Equipment provider, where he learned the inner workings of purchasing, supply chain management, project management, and cost accounting. He also supported 11 Sales Representatives and managed over$9.5 million. This included working on projects such as Katy Stadium, University of North Carolina Charlotte, and the University of Notre Dame. Daniel Transitioned to a Finance Manager, where he oversaw payroll for 45 employees, Human Resources implementation, vendor relationships, and produced weekly reports for ownership consisting of Cash Flow Analysis and potential Opportunities/risks to the organization. Eventually, Daniel moved on to Business Consulting. He helped local businesses find ways to cut costs, raise efficiency, and conduct market research.

Following these experiences, Daniel created Public Skool. He noticed a gap in the market for sufficient entertainment catered towards marginalized communities (People of Color). To test the market fit, Daniel organized a Juneteenth Bar Crawl, which proved to be widely successful. He transitioned the success of this event to create an event called ‘Sunday Skool: Day Party Series.’ For their first event, Daniel partnered with Harvey’s On The Mall and created a unique cocktail and bar menu sold exclusively during their event. The initial event launched in October 2018 with 60 guests and within a year they outgrew the space and expanded to The Grotto at Capone’s, where they grew to 250 in attendance.

The success of ‘Sunday Skool: Day Party Series’ convinced Daniel to expand their offering of events beyond the bar scene. In 2019, he realized that there was a lack of true celebration of Black History Month in West Michigan. Daniel created an event called “AfroFest: Michigan’s Largest Afro Party,” which consists of individuals dressed in African Attire, a banquet with a Soul Food Buffet, and a DJ. The event turned out to be widely successful as their first fully managed event where they conducted catering. That same year Daniel partnered with Webster’s Prime in Downtown Kalamazoo, to create the ‘Juneteenth Freedom Dinner,’ Where he raised funds for the National Bail Out Collective to free poor Black mothers who are only incarcerated due to their inability to produce bail. This initiative led to them receiving a proclamation by the city of Kalamazoo to acknowledge their efforts. Due to their success in 2019, Daniel moved ‘AfroFest: Michigan’s Largest Afro Party” to the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts for their 2020 celebration. The same year they were recognized by Revue Magazine as having one of the Top 50 Events in Michigan to attend in 2020.

About John Dabney:
John Dabney was the first renowned African American bartender in America, who grew up in Gordonsville, Virginia born in 1824. He started his life working his way through the kitchen of a local restaurant as a hired-out slave before being moved to Richmond, Virginia at the age of 18. Once he made his way to Richmond, his first stop was the Columbian Hotel where he worked until he was transferred to the Ballard House & Exchange Hotel, where he went on to run the kitchen and bar. Within a few years he became known for his take on the Mint Julip, attracting guests from far and wide who sought out his take on cocktails and spirits.

As a result of his bartending success, he was able to amass enough savings to purchase his freedom and that of his wife. Shortly after the Civil War ended in 1865, he used his savings to purchase a home and become a restauranteur.

Advisors:

Willie May, a 30-year veteran of the Food and Beverage Industry. Willie has extensive experience in management and has successfully opened and operated franchises for Arby’s, Don Pablo’s, and Cracker Barrell. Willie has also managed 100’s of employees in different markets, which provides a deep understanding of interpersonal relationships and diminishing employee turnover.

Dennis Grafos, a 20-year veteran of event management and catering. Dennis has been a part of his family business for years and has overseen the marriages of thousands of individuals, and catering to hundreds of guests at a time. His strong knowledge of event management will be critical to the success of their events business.

Daniel Jefferies, a serial entrepreneur and founder of Newmind Group. Daniel’s knowledge of innovation, capital raising, and company structure will be invaluable to their company’s success.

Kalamazoo Commercial Real Estate

Per Andrew Gyrokos (Principal Broker), Kalamazoo Commercial Real Estate is a fully licensed and insured construction company with 4-6 full-time construction employees. He has over 20 years of experience in real estate and construction. They are licensed and insured builders and annually complete between $500k to $1M in construction work. They specialize in commercial renovations and build-outs for tenants. They typically only do work on their own properties where they have equity (Ownership) in the property. They manage the commercial property that Daniel is leasing and got to know him and his plans through the leasing process. Kalamazoo Commercial Real Estate decided to help Daniel.