For someone who spent 35 years sporting titles like “division manager” and “account executive,” Steve Schwartz is venturing into new territories.
No longer satisfied with Fortune 100 companies, Schwartz, a resident of Deerfield, arrived at a crossroad in his professional life. His goal – to create the best joint in the North Shore to offer fine cuisine, welcoming lounge space and a diverse selection of live entertainment.
After purchasing Highland Park’s Vibe at 1935, Schwartz plans to re-open the space as PLEEZ, coming in late January or early February.
The initiative was a long time coming.
“I’m going to be 60 in three months, and I came to a point where I wanted out of the corporate American game,” Schwartz said. “I wanted to do something on my own.”
The knack for running events hit Schwartz early in life. While he obviously shelved his talents in exchange for the 9 to 5 grind, PLEEZ now offers an outlet to resurrect such passions.
“In my early 20s, I was a party consultant for a big firm called Weddings Inc., and I got the bug for coordinating events and parties – putting all the details together for these functions,” Schwartz said. “I really found that I had a high aptitude for those type of things. So when this opportunity came along, I said, ‘This is really the business I want to be in.'”
The opportunity came in the form of Schwartz’s other love – music. As a member of Not for Profit, a rock band that raises funds for charities, he met Lisa Norcia, the previous owner of Vibe at 1935, at a gig.
“For the last two years, I had been looking around at different restaurant/entertainment venues,” Schwartz said. “Our band used to play at Vibe every once in a while. My search came up in a conversation with Lisa, and that’s really how it developed.”
The location of Highland Park was not pulled out of a hat. Schwartz strategically spent those 2 years researching the North Shore for the perfect place to match the offerings of PLEEZ.
“I think Highland Park is ready for what we’re trying to bring here,” Schwartz said. “I’ve been in the area for over 20 years, I know the clientele, I know the people; I did a 2-year study on the different North suburban areas and looked at over 15 places before settling on Highland Park.”
More Top Picks Best Laptops For Homeschool
Schwartz believes the contemporary American cuisine, stylish bar area and various genres of original music will set PLEEZ apart from the few nightlife options currently available.
“Most places around here mostly just recycle cover bands that play music from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s and they all sound the same,” Schwartz said. “We’re going to be offering a lot of different genres of music including country, soul, jazz, blues, pop – it’s always going to vary. We believe Highland Park and the North Shore will be very open to this.”
Despite the potential of PLEEZ, Schwartz is aware that most new establishments fail. He thinks he will overcome the obstacles with calculated implementation and experience.
“One reason a lot of restaurants fail and we’ll succeed is that I put together a very expert team,” Schwartz said. “I will be running all of the business operations, which includes marketing, advertising, accounting and PR. I hired both a general manager and an executive chef that have 25 years of experience apiece. So really, we have over 75 years of experience between the three of us with the skills that are required to run a business like this.”