Today we’d like to introduce you to Washington Revelo.
Washington, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I originally met Diego at Cielo over a decade ago back when it was called “Copas”. We had both just moved to Houston from New York City and we were both Dj’s at the club. We came from very similar backgrounds and became great friends instantly. After a revolving door of failed businesses at the location, the opportunity presented itself to us in June 2015 to take on the lease and open Cielo. Everyone said this place will never work, so many people have tried to start a business and that location is simply cursed. However we were convinced that there was a hunger for a true Latin club in the Woodlands as the population was growing more and more in the area. I myself had already created a very successful Latin night up on the Waterway at Crush Thursday nights: I was the person who started / DJ’d and promoted the night so I not only knew the market was there but I had my hand very much in it. It wasn’t easy for me to leave Crush because I was doing so well there but the chance to start my own place was just too much to pass up. We took on the lease and Cielo opened October 3, 2015 (one week before I got married October 10th) crazy month for me to say the least. Then came a revolving door of people trying to convince us to go in different directions for our nights. From Hip Hop to 80’s, electro, you name it and they tried to pitch it. But we were committed to our original idea. A true Live Latin music venue with top notch orchestras, dance classes for those who wanted to learn salsa, good food & craft drinks with a Latin twist. That was the plan and we were gonna stick to it. Now in our second year we continue to be one of the top Latin destinations in all of Houston. I constantly meet people who drive from far away to come to Cielo because they’ve heard great stories. It’s the support from the community that has kept us going and drives us to better the experience week in and week out.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No it hasn’t been a smooth ride in any way, but we embrace the struggles. We didn’t want to put our vision in anyone else’s hands so I & Diego have been extremely hands on from the start. Often times putting our families to the side for the sake of the business. We were great at creating parties & playing great music but had never ran a bar before. Things like staffing, managing, marketing, book keeping were all new to us and often overwhelming. If we weren’t so passionate about the vision we probably would have cracked at some point. However we’ve been blessed to have great people work for us who embraced our vision. They often went the extra mile to do whatever they could for the success of Cielo. Many of those people still work with us to this day. Anyone who has ever worked for us will tell you that working for cielo is like joining a family. It is always a team first mentality driven by a common goal. To enhance the customer experience, make money and have a great time doing it.
Please tell us about Cielo Latin Bar.
Cielo is a Tropical Latin Bar specializing in Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, Cumbia & Reggaeton as the foundation. We pride ourselves in bringing top notch local bands & DJ’s. Keeping a constant rotation of the best acts on our stage and giving new groups an opportunity to showcase their talents to a crowd who truly embraces Latin dance at its core. We are also a great venue for private events such as holiday parties, business gatherings, wedding receptions, you name it we’ve probably had it take place at Cielo. In my opinion what sets us apart is the shear quality of music you will enjoy. We keep it at a world class standard comparable to top clubs in New York (our home town), Miami, Vegas, etc.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over I would have probably prepared myself more for what it took to manage the business. It was all a learning experience and I continue to grow as a leader every day, but I believe preparing better in the beginning would have probably saved us a few bumps along the road.
Contact Info:
- Address: 314 Sawdust Rd. #113
The Woodlands, Tx 77090 - Website: Www.cielolatinbar.com
- Phone: 8322574940
- Email: cielowoodlands@gmail.com
- Instagram: Cielolatinbar
- Facebook: Facebook.com/cielolatinbar
- Yelp: Yelp.com/cielolatinbar
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