LEWISTON — More than a year after Sonder & Dram closed, it has reopened with little fanfare. Call it a soft opening.

Craig Tribuno, owner of DaVinci’s Eatery, purchased Sonder & Dram at 12 Ash St., and the former bon Vivant restaurant that sits above at 133 Lisbon St., in May.

Sonder & Dram reopened its doors Friday, merely unlocking the door, placing a small chalk sandwich board out front, and an open flag. Tribuno said that by the second day word had spread and customers walked in.

The bar, which also serves food from its small but mighty galley kitchen, is open Fridays and Saturdays from 4-11 p.m. for now, with additional days expected to be added down the road.

Sonder & Dram was known for its speakeasy atmosphere and craft cocktails, combined with its upscale bar food offerings that was standing room only on the weekends.

Peter Flanders and a group of investors opened Sonder & Dram in 2018. In December 2022, Flanders and partners Rick Roy, Jon Mercier and executive chef Michael Gosselin announced they would open bon Vivant — an upscale 50-seat restaurant above the cocktail bar.

bon Vivant opened in July 2023, offering New American cuisine with a nod to New England. Just 17 months later bon Vivant closed, with Flanders citing a prolonged downturn in the hospitality industry after the COVID-19 pandemic. But the biggest factor affecting the restaurant’s performance, Flanders said, were the Oct. 25, 2023, shootings in Lewiston.

The hospitality business in the Lewiston and Auburn area was down 60% year-over-year six months after the shootings, according to the Lewiston-Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.

The bon Vivant space was briefly turned into an extension of Sonder & Dram called Sonder Lounge.

Tribuno has not said what he will do with the former bon Vivant space, referring to it as “phase two.”

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