Spellmans’ Social Owner Ryan Spellman Gives Us the Lowdown on ReggaeFest Vol. 2
Ahead of Spellmans’ Social’s third birthday celebrations, we chat with owner Ryan Spellman about how the business got started, community support and what to expect from ReggaeFest Vol. 2.
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Congratulations on Spellman’s Social’s upcoming third birthday. You must be immensely proud of what you’ve managed to achieve since opening, especially considering how tough the hospitality industry is at the moment.
Thank you, mate. It has been a bit of a roller coaster the last three years for hospitality businesses for sure, especially independents. We’ve got a good thing going at the moment and we’re looking forward to celebrating our 3rd birthday.
What is the secret behind Spellmans’ Social’s success?
I’m not sure whether there’s much of a secret but we focus on doing the basics well. Our staff have great personalities and are hospitable and welcoming to our patrons. We try to give everyone a good experience when they choose to come to our venue. We all really enjoy what we do and focus on hospitality as a whole rather than just service and being transactional zombies.
What role has the local community played in your success?
We are extremely lucky to have a lot of community support, especially with times being tough for everyone over the last few years. People haven’t got as much fun money. There’s no such thing as “build it and they’ll come” anymore. It’s more “build it and they might come.” We have tried to be as consistent as possible with events and we are lucky that the community get around us. Now we have non-locals traveling to our events which is exciting.
Taking things back to the beginning, what was the idea behind Spellmans’ Social and what inspired you to open the venture?
The initial idea was that we wanted to create an approachable space for the community to gather socially for a coffee or frothy. It takes a little bit of time to figure out what works and what doesn’t, but whatever we have had a crack at we’ve either learned from or tried to make it better.
Why did you pick Glenelg East as the location for Spellmans’?
The opportunity to take over the lease popped up without much notice. After considering everything, my sister Emily and I pulled the trigger and decided to have a crack. It was a crazy time. We opened for trade two weeks later, battling with COVID-19 lockdowns and all the rest. We set up out the front for takeaways whilst still finishing renovations inside the venue. Looking back, Glenelg East chose us, and we are very lucky.
Spellmans’ Social started as a café but can now be considered a live music venue and lounge bar. Was this always the plan or has it evolved over the years?
It was always the plan to host live music and events. It’s what we love and come from. I had hospitality and event experience but next to no café experience. We didn’t take over a thriving venue, it has taken time to get an organic following. The good thing is I still have some hair left on my dome and we have regular punters coming for our breaky/brunch day trade and for our live music and other events.
READ MORE: ReggaeFest Vol.2 Hits Spellmans’ Social Next Month
Speaking of the events Spellmans’ Social throws, you’re bringing back several fan favourites over the summer, including Spellmans’ Social Sunday and Hip Hop Fridays. Tell us more about these events and what goes down.
From now until the end of the year, we have Spellmans’ Trivia on the last Friday of each month, which we do all in-house. We get the tunes cranking and it has been good fun and a consistently good turnout. On the last Friday of each month, we’ve brought back our Railway Blues and have some local talented blues legends each month, including Aidan J Jones, Cal Williams Jnr, Billy Bob and Joe Amputch. In the new year, we’ll bring back our Sunday Sessions which include our resident vinyl selectors spinning anything from reggae, soul, electronica, disco, 70s/80s rock and house. We rotate a shared dining menu and wine list for each of our events which equals good times.
Last year you put on ReggaeFest, which was a massive success. You’re bringing it back again this year to help celebrate Spellmans’ Social’s third birthday. What can punters expect from the event? Tell us more about who’s performing.
ReggaeFest was a heap of fun. All the punters were good people there for the same reason. It felt like a big house party. We are clearing out the dining tables and the bands will be set up in the booth. We went too big with the sound system last year, so we thought we’d do the same again!
Pirate Life is coming on board once more and will be handing out a refreshing South Coast Pale Ale on arrival. We’ve got a tailored Caribbean cocktail and food menu with jerk chicken, rice and beans as well as our take on plantain fritters and salsa for our vego/vegan friends.
We have two talented Pacific Island veterans performing for us. Elena is a multi-award-winning artist with a versatile style who seamlessly blends soul, R&B, reggae and jazz. She’s even lent her voice to the Disney movie Moana! Joe Amputch has toured Australia and internationally both solo and with his band. His early life in Fiji was drenched in traditional island blues, gospel and reggae music, creating his unique sense of soul, groove and rhythm which is felt when watching Joe perform. If Barry White and Gregory Issacs had a baby, it would be Joe. He is the original soul brother like no other.
You’re known to perform the odd DJ set yourself. Will we see you behind the decks, and if so, what can we expect?
I’ll mostly be on the dancefloor wearing down the soles of my shoes, but I will be on the platters that matter to close the night out. My good friend Nasio is playing congas and bongos with Joe’s band and I reckon we’ll be teaming up to close the show out. Reggae dub and dancehall are on the menu, and we might have a bit of fun with mashing up the classics.
If I was heading to Spellmans’ for brunch on the weekend, what would you recommend?
My favourites at the moment are our Captain Nemo Sanga, which is made up of battered flathead, cheddar, pickles, red onion and cos lettuce on toasted ciabatta with our lemon herb aioli. You’d have to wash it down with a crispy pint of Suburban Brew Pale Ale or our Bloody Mary, and if you behave yourself I’ll sling you a few tokens to give the pinball machine a shake!
Describe Spellmans’ Social in three words.
That’s a hard one mate. Hmmm….. GOOD VIBRATIONS ONLY!
This is a limited-capacity event with 50% of tickets already sold. If you don’t want to miss out, we suggest grabbing your tickets asap before they’re all gone. Get your tickets for ReggaeFest Vol 2. here.
