Who We Are

It’s not the year we were planning, but it’s the year we got…and we couldn’t be more excited about it!

Remember us? Back in 2018, we launched one of Fargo’s first Kickstarter campaigns in a (successful) effort to help fund our restaurant, Sol Ave Kitchen. Long story short, five years later our little Sol Ave Kitchen is still alive and kicking, and has not only weathered a pandemic but is still going strong thanks in large part to the help of our community through that Kickstarter campaign and our loyal customers.

Since then, Ryan and I have opened a few more concepts, been nominated for a number of James Beard awards, were officially called “restaurateurs” by our local newspaper, and really came into our own as local business owners. This has not come without large amounts of trial and tribulation and a whole lot of grit.

Ultimately we are gearing up to bring something super special to Downtown Fargo, and we can’t do it without you.

Why We Are Here

At the end of 2024, we had a bit of a setback which is what brings us back here to the crowdfunding world. Our beloved restaurant, Nova Eatery, was forced to close due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control. And although we closed our kitchen, it never felt like this was really the end of Nova.

What is the saying? “With every ending comes a new beginning…”

At around this same time, our local restaurant community experienced a loss that will be felt for years to come and an amazing space with a lot of history, love, and potential suddenly became available in Downtown Fargo. To be honest, we hadn’t really thought of moving, but we also did not want to see yet another local institution erased completely from the Downtown landscape.

What We Need

So here are the financial facts: we are the sole owners of all our entities. This means the debt and loans belong to us and our families alone. We have taken this path intentionally to be responsible for our own futures and beholden to no one when it comes to our menu creations, concepts, and culture. We own and stand by our path and for us it’s a key ingredient that contributes to our success. But the fact is, we are currently tapped out.

We aren’t necessarily looking for free money, but we are looking for quick money. Time is of the essence and we didn’t want to let this space go to anyone else, meaning we need to move fast. We were able to obtain a reasonable amount of funds to secure the lease in our name and purchase the equipment and furniture from the previous tenants. Still, that is just the beginning of what it will take to move this project forward in a timely manner because this lovely building is OLD! Even with this crowd funding and the money we have borrowed on our own, this is going to require a lot of unconventional thinking and some serious elbow grease.

We are asking our community to help us come up with $150,000 to help get us off to a great start and aim for opening the doors within the first quarter of this year. Although we will be doing a lot of the work ourselves, for some of the construction, electrical, plumbing, sound system, signage, etc we will need to call in the big guns. And then there is the matter of the liquor license, which could go one of three ways depending on how successful this campaign is.

Introducing Nova Eatery & Supper Club

Speaking of the place…we want to introduce you to the new Nova Eatery & Supper Club. Nova 2.0 is still our interpretation of ND Midwest Cuisine: comfort foods and flavors inspired by home and built on a foundation of integrity, and honest food. What is honest food? You may have heard us refer to our cuisine as a church basement gathering mixed with a backyard BBQ. It’s meant to be familiar, like going to Grandma’s house for dinner or that special place you ate out at as a kid. We didn’t quite get to fulfill our original mission with Nova Eatery, but now we’ve been gifted with the opportunity to present to our community, Nova Eatery & Supper Club. We still intend to offer some of the same casual comfort fare you have come to love from us such as smash burgers, mac n cheese, poutine etc. Yet we will also expand our accommodations to include breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Think lighter fare for that quick office lunch and full dinner accommodations. We will be serving wine, beer, and cocktails and of course Sunday brunch. Need a place for your next special event? We’ve got you covered. We’ve heard our community and what you want from the next iteration of 402 N Broadway and it’s our intention to make Nova a community place you return to again and again.

We don’t have it all figured out yet, but we do know that our community, and where we live, is who we are. And we want our businesses in this community to reflect our values and those of others around us. We need you, not only to help us fund this, but to come and dine with us, to tell us what you love and don’t love, to tell us your story so that together we may become our own institution in Downtown dining!

Sunday Brunch for 5 + bottomless mimosas