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The Sound Garden houses a colorful atmosphere and stage for live music. -DAVID WISHTISCHIN \/ FLORIDA WEEKLY<\/p>\n
A humble building with humble beginnings sits along McGregor Boulevard. Plain walls and a modest exterior give little away. But step inside Sound Garden Kava Bar, and the modest exterior gives way to a vibrant, immersive interior. Artwork fills the space\u2014frames line one wall, a graffiti-covered wall anchors the room and a stage stands ready for live music.\n<\/p>\n
More than anything, though, it\u2019s the feeling that defines the space\u2014a community that seems ready to welcome anyone who walks through the door.\n<\/p>\n
For owner Brian Hartman, that sense of belonging isn\u2019t accidental. It\u2019s the entire point.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m an artist at heart,\u201d Hartman said. \u201cI\u2019m not a bar owner that happens to be in a band. I\u2019m a guy in a band that happens to own a bar.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
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The Sound Garden and Kava Bar on McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers. -DAVID WISHTISCHIN \/ FLORIDA WEEKLY<\/p>\n
Before opening Sound Garden, Hartman spent years grinding through the local music scene\u2014hauling equipment across town, playing multiple nights a week for little or no pay, just to be seen.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI had to scratch and claw to get anywhere with music,\u201d he said. \u201cIt took me quite a while before I was able to get on a real stage and play real shows.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
That experience shaped his vision. When the opportunity came to open his own place, Hartman saw it as a chance to remove some of those barriers for others.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI kind of viewed it as a way to jumpstart people,\u201d he said. \u201cIt takes out a lot of the grind. That was the mission behind it\u2014to give back to the community that had uplifted me and my guys.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Today, Sound Garden\u2019s stage is intentionally built with musicians in mind\u2014down to the smallest details. Hartman personally designed it, making sure it\u2019s large, functional and equipped in ways performers often don\u2019t find at smaller venues.\n<\/p>\n
That same attention carries into every aspect of the bar, from the artwork on the walls to the drinks behind the counter. Fresh ingredients are prioritized, even if they cut into profit margins.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI will almost always cut my margin a little bit to be able to provide an elevated experience,\u201d Hartman said. \u201cWhen you put a drink in front of somebody and their first reaction is, \u2018Wow, this looks great,\u2019 and then they drink it and say, \u2018Wow, this tastes great,\u2019 that\u2019s what we strive for.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
But while the aesthetic and the product matter, it\u2019s the people who define the space.\n<\/p>\n
Hartman recalls one of his earliest experiences at a kava bar\u2014sitting next to a stranger, bonding over a song playing in the background. That conversation led to a job opportunity, a bandmate, and eventually a business partner.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first person I ever met at a kava bar is now somebody I\u2019ve been in business with for four years,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a story that mirrors what happens inside Sound Garden almost nightly.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are activities, there\u2019s stuff to do, but it\u2019s also a meeting place,\u201d Hartman said. \u201cPeople get homework done here. They hang out. It\u2019s very art-centered.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Sound Garden\u2019s General Manager Scott Robinson echoes that idea, describing the space as something fundamentally different from a traditional bar.\n<\/p>\n
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Inside The Sound Garden and Kava Bar on McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers. -DAVID WISHTISCHIN \/ FLORIDA WEEKLY<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very relaxed atmosphere here compared to a typical bar,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople relax, and they feel safe here.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
That sense of safety\u2014and intention\u2014has become increasingly important as more people look for alternatives to alcohol-centered nightlife.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not anti-alcohol,\u201d Hartman said. \u201cBut when you work behind a bar for so many years, you see what that does to people. You can watch lives deteriorate in real time.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
At Sound Garden, those concerns are replaced with something else: connection.\n<\/p>\n
One night, about a year after opening, Hartman met an older man who walked in expecting a beer. After learning the bar was nonalcoholic, the man stayed\u2014and opened up about his struggles with alcoholism.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me nobody had treated him like a human in a long time,\u201d Hartman said. \u201cThat moment brought me all the way back to why I put this place together in the first place.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Stories like that aren\u2019t rare here. Regulars describe the space less like a business and more like a safe place.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m here pretty much every day,\u201d said Renee Lodick, a customer who moved to Fort Myers from New York five years ago. \u201cIt\u2019s the community. I\u2019ve made so many friends here\u2014it\u2019s like a family.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
For many, that sense of belonging fills a gap left by traditional nightlife.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not a big drinker,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a really great place for people who don\u2019t drink, because they kind of feel left out at bars.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Instead, Sound Garden offers something different: music, conversation, games and a space where interaction feels natural.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can talk to pretty much anybody here,\u201d she said. \u201cYou\u2019re going to have at least two friends by the time you leave.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
That outcome is exactly what Hartman hopes for.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI want everybody to walk in here\u2014no matter where they\u2019re from, no matter their background\u2014and say, \u2018Wow, this place was made for me,\u2019\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n
In a time when connection can feel increasingly rare, spaces like Sound Garden are carving out something meaningful\u2014one conversation, one song, and one drink at a time.\n<\/p>\n
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Inside The Sound Garden and Kava Bar on McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers. -DAVID WISHTISCHIN \/ FLORIDA WEEKLY<\/p>\n