Style File: Wynwood District

WSVN -- Drive through the Wynwood District, and you may not see it at first, but this is an area on the cusp of exploding with art, cafes and entertainment.

Kamal: "I just moved my office from Brickell to here, just to see the energy and revitalization."

Gloria: "I think it's going to be Soho of NY."

Wynwood, located just west of Biscayne Boulevard between Northeast 14th & 35th Streets, is a little pocket bursting with more than 80 art galleries from the funky to the stylish.

Most are open during the week and Saturdays, so you can gallery hop and gaze at your own pace. There's also a free gallery walk each month featuring new exhibitions.

Bernice Steinbaum, Bernice Steinbaum Gallery: "The Gallery Walk takes place the second Saturday of the month. Almost all the galleries open that evening to let people see the new show. They serve wine and beer and whatever."

Pioneer gallery owners like Bernice Steinbaum hope the area will become an art destination all year long.

Bernice Steinbaum: "My hope is that Miami deals with art in the 51 weeks other than the one week of Art Basel."

And there are also big dreams for the future of Wynwood.

Bernice Steinbaum: "We want lots of restaurants. We want this area to be very safe, and safety comes with numbers. We want great police patrol, and it's happening."

Those dreams are slowly coming true. The Wynwood District recently got their first neighborhood restaurant, Joey's.

Gloria Burbank, Wynwood resident: "I think it's wonderful for the neighborhood. It sort of tells us where we are going."

It's run by Joey Goldman whose family owns a lot of property in the area. They've had a vision for developing Wynwood for years.

Joey Goldman, Joey's owner: "I always felt this neighborhood has had such great potential, that we were willing to take a chance, and we're glad we did."

Gloria Burbank: "When you come in, you're greeted as family the minute you walk in the door."

The restaurant serves up authentic Northern Italian goodness for lunch and dinner with Venetian style pizzas, freshly made pastas and salads.

Kamal Hotchandani: "I basically come here every day. Joey's has revitalized the community. The tagliatelle, the soups, the vegetarian soups are unbelievable."

Joey's may be the first eatery, but they certainly won't be the last of the big things that are planned for the district.

Joey Goldman: "It recently got approved for a cafe district, which creates an entertainment district, so this is the first of 25 liquor licenses that are going to be issued in this area, which will create a pedestrian neighborhood."

A win-win situation for Wynwood.

Joey plans to open up several new cafes and restaurants in the area, and don't forget, the Art Walk is the second Saturday of every month.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Joey's
2506 N.W. 2nd Ave. in Wynwood
305-438-0488

Bernice Steinbaum Gallery
3550 North Miami Ave.
Miami, FL 33127
305-573-2700

Every second Saturday of each month a community wide Art Walk is held from 7 - 11 p.m.