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When Rashad and Patrice Armstrong took over Hummingbird Wine Bar & Market this summer, they were not looking to erase what was already there.
The Fayetteville couple officially took ownership July 6 of Hummingbird Wine Bar & Market, the hidden Hummingbird Room speakeasy, and The Venue at 240 Glynn Street inside the former Fayetteville City Hall building. At a recent Fayette Chamber ribbon cutting, Rashad Armstrong said the couple sees themselves as carrying forward a concept that was already working.
“We’re not going to say it’s a grand opening because I think the previous owners have done such a fantastic job of curating,” Armstrong said. “We’re just carrying the vision forward as things happen, as life transitions. We’re going to pick up a helm. We’re going to keep a lot of the same essence and just grow to meet the needs of our current community.”
For the Armstrongs, that means thinking well beyond glasses of wine.
Rashad wants Hummingbird to become “the living room for Fayetteville.”
“It’s just come hang out,” he said. “We want to treat people well. We want to create a community space for, you know, the little people that sometimes don’t get seen or don’t get heard.”
That could mean live music, art, comedy, chess, mahjong, anime, comic books, private parties, or simply people settling in for a conversation.
“We just want a place where people can just come and gather that treats them well and that encourages more community,” Armstrong said.
A New Chapter in a Historic Building
The building itself already has generations of Fayetteville stories inside its walls. Before serving as City Hall, it was a school, and Rashad said one former elementary school class is planning to return for its 50th reunion.
“It’s just so cool to be able to be connected through kind of so many traditions,” he said, “and, you know, be a part of giving the building a third life.”
The Armstrongs have lived in Fayetteville for about six years. Rashad previously worked in the corporate world before leaving last year, while Patrice has spent about a decade as a professional wedding and event planner.
At the ribbon cutting, Rashad noted that Patrice has won several planning awards in Tennessee and Georgia. Later, with Patrice sitting beside him, he was considerably less restrained about her résumé.
“My wife is very modest,” Rashad said. “She loves it. She does all kinds of amazing things. She’s won several awards for wedding planning and event planning. She does all kinds of corporate stuff.”
He pointed to regional work and events in the Caribbean, then added that some of the weddings she has worked on have appeared in People magazine.
“She is fantastic,” he said.
Rashad said Patrice has also worked with “country music stars, people that you see on TV” and “so many A-listers.” Patrice, meanwhile, acknowledged that she keeps her awards but does not display them; Rashad joked that there is essentially a drawer full of them at home.
That experience shapes the way Patrice looks at Hummingbird and The Venue at 240 Glynn Street.
“Being a wedding planner, you see the outside and inside of what a space needs,” Patrice said. “And I think when we first visited the space, we knew it needed more. That the community needed more, so we are now looking to take it and elevate it, and bring different aspects that the community needs, whether it be events, whether it be meetups, whether it be church happenings.”
Pairing those possibilities with Hummingbird’s wine bar made the concept even broader.
“And now, if you pair that with wine, it becomes a place where my husband would say Fayetteville’s living room,” she said, “where now people can come into the space, enjoy wine, but also enjoy a very large event.”
More Than a Wine Bar
The Venue at 240 Glynn Street can accommodate 150 people seated or up to 220 in a reception-style setup, with tables and chairs included in the rental.
Hummingbird can also provide alcohol and bartending services for events both in the building and, where permitted, off-site.
“Most of the time, when you have a bartender, you have to go purchase your alcohol and then pay a separate fee for the bartenders,” Patrice said. “But we are the whole package. We are the bar and the bartenders all in one.”
That flexibility can include wine tastings, bourbon flights, specialty drinks, mocktails, and other customized beverage experiences.
Rashad said they also have clients who invite Hummingbird into their homes for private wine tastings, and the business is permitted to pour wine, beer, and spirits at off-site events.
Patrice describes the broader idea as an “immersive experience.”
“We can come into your space and be immersive, whether that be an activation of beer, wine, decorations, food,” she said. “We can bring the immersive experience to you, or you can come here and have it.”
Behind the Bookshelf
Then there is the Hummingbird Room.
The speakeasy is hidden behind a bookshelf. Visitors have to know which book to pull to reveal the entrance.
Inside, the room feels almost like an intimate, warm hug: black walls, velvet textures, low lighting, and enough separation from the rest of the building to make entering it feel like discovering something.
Its maximum capacity is 35, although Rashad said they generally keep it closer to 30. When it fills, guests can sit in the market area and move between the spaces as seats become available.
The Armstrongs are also working on small “Easter egg” details inside the room.
“There may be some hummingbirds floating around,” Rashad said. “There’ll be little things that will be intriguing when you find them.”
While the couple has not made major changes to Hummingbird so far, they have seasonal ideas in the works.
In October, Rashad said, they plan to transform the speakeasy into the “Spook Easy,” with a murder mystery among the ideas being finalized. They also expect to bring back the Holly Jolly Room for Christmas and are working through plans for a fall wine festival.
“We want to create another pocket of entertainment and another pocket of fun and a source of just community and a place to gather within the arts district,” Rashad said.
“How do we put the creative spirit into the city?”
Partnership Is the Word
At the ribbon cutting, Patrice summed up another priority in one word.
“The word is partnership, and that’s what we’re looking for.”
That includes working with community organizations as well as the other businesses operating inside the building.
“We’re all about partnering together and doing things collaboratively,” Rashad said, “not only that serve us as the Hummingbird Room, but just serve 240 and the community as a whole.”
For the Armstrongs, the opportunity is particularly meaningful because Fayetteville is their own community.
“We’ve done a lot of giving and serving in other communities,” Rashad said, “but the opportunity to give that to our own community is something that I think many entrepreneurs never get the opportunity to really experience.”
Less than two months into ownership, Rashad offered a much shorter assessment of how it feels.
“Love it. Absolutely love it.”
“This is home.”
To learn more about Hummingbird Wine Bar & Market, visit https://www.
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