Check Out David Gibbs’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to David Gibbs.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was always interested in wine, and had built up a little cellar of bottles I’d collected while touring as a musician in the 90’s, as well as auctions, private sales etc. When my wife and I moved to the Valley, we realized there really wasn’t anywhere we could go and just have a quiet glass of wine and a little food without a lot of big screen tvs showing whatever game was being played, or music being blasted, so I thought maybe a small wine bar might be what Sherman Oaks was missing. I tried hard to convince my friends (and future partners) who had a fantastic place in Los Feliz (Bar Covell) to open one, but they said “you do it, we’ll help you”, so I did.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been an interesting road…I wouldn’t say smooth exactly;) Between the pandemic, the writers strike, the fire that had us closed for 19 months, the unease after the election, and now the tariffs that are making everything so much more expensive, it’s been…a lot.
But we do our best to make Augustine (and our sister bar Mirabelle, as well as Sushi Note) warm, inviting places where people can relax and get a bit of a break from all the craziness around us.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Before wine bars and sushi restaurants, I was a recording & touring musician for 35 years. I lived in Boston for quite a while and was fortunate enough to be in a band with my closest friends growing up, and we were able to tour around the world. I moved to LA around the end of the 90s and got a little more involved in writing songs for movies and tv shows, and started playing with other musicians as well as my old band. Somehow I got involved with Rock Of Ages, and was able to watch it go from a small bar on Hollywood Blvd, to getting nominated for 5 Tony Awards and being made in to a movie starring Tom Cruise! (I even got to be in it as a member of Tom’s band…didn’t see that one coming;)
Having my parents attend the opening on Broadway is something I’ll always be proud of.
I still play music with my old friends, as well as tour with Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), but being in the hospitality industry is a challenge every day, so I’m usually around one of my places.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
If I’m really interested, or really want something, I tend to find a way to make it happen. I’m pretty dogged about seeing things through, even if they take years. But probably the thing that has been the most valuable to me is surrounding myself with people who are a lot more talented and know a lot more than me. I’m literally a living example of being the most rundown house in the nicest neighborhood;)