- From video production to a wine bar, Robbie and Bonnie Coblentz have blended their professional talents and interests in the Golden Triangle.
Many years ago, Robbie Coblentz started a video production business, Broadcast Media Group, amassing clients like 60 Minutes, HGTV, GQ, and PBS. Meanwhile, his wife, Bonnie Coblentz, began her career as a writer, eventually becoming an editor with the Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension Office of Agricultural Communications.
“So how in the world did we open a wine bar with a coffee/bagel/gelato shop alongside it?” teased Robbie. “I’ve always been interested in the restaurant business and doing culinary video. I did a few unsolicited show pitches to Food Network back in the late 1990s and early aughts. Unfortunately, no response.”
Flash forward to 2012-ish, when Robbie and Bonnie were raising their two sons, Dave and Mark.
“Early on, we let the boys watch one of three channels when they were young: Cartoon Network, Food Network, and ESPN,” said Robbie. “Dave loved sports and ESPN, hence part of his career path in sports video. Mark latched onto Food Network as his channel of choice.”
Mark turned out to be a pretty good young cook, landing on Food Network’s Chopped Junior, and FOX’s MasterChef Junior.
In 2017, Robbie produced a culinary show for Mississippi Public Broadcasting, “Making A Chef,” built around Mark’s growing culinary skills with him as the host. One episode featured local baker T.J. Manna showing Mark how to make decadent croissants.
By 2019, the show had completed two seasons. That summer, Robbie and Bonnie bought the assets of a local bakery, renamed it Proof Bakery, and brought Manna in as head baker.
“We were working on a third season and had a great launch of Proof when COVID interrupted everything,” he said. “I wouldn’t recommend that you open a bakery six months before a global pandemic.”
With COVID roiling, the family circled the wagons and pushed through. Both boys jumped in to help shift the bakery to a carry out phase. In fact, Mark and David were the only front house staff at Proof during COVID, managing sales and customer service alone. Proof survived.
“In early ’21, someone approached us about opening a small gelato shop — two doors down from Proof,” said Robbie. “It was a neat opportunity, and we jumped onboard.”
Dolce was launched in April with a simple and easy approach: serving only gelato and soft drinks.
“T.J. made us an offer to buy us out from Proof and we closed that deal in June 2021,” Robbie said. “Then, we were just in the gelato-serving business.”
By the spring of 2022, a challenge emerged with the availability of Dolce’s location.
“So, we shut the doors and began looking for a new home,” said Robbie. “This is where things really took off.”
The Coblentzes were shown a desirable 2,400-square-foot retail space in the bottom floor of Grand Junction Condos in Starkville. Located in the Cotton District, it was close to the MSU campus with impressive walk-up traffic.
But the couple only wanted half of the space for Dolce.
“The developer liked the idea of Dolce but had pitched having a high-end bar in that space for his condo owners,” Robbie recalled.
Robbie and Bonnie regrouped. They discussed options with friends Stefan and Laura Kate Tribble about expanding Dolce’s offerings to coffee, sandwiches, and bagels. At the same time, the Coblentzes mulled the idea of opening a wine bar. Longtime friend Melanie Hankins Booth had changed careers and earned her sommelier certification. Would she be interested in helping bring a high-end wine bar to Starkville? Yes!
The Coblentz family took the plunge, acquiring the property for $400,000, and adding $200,000 to outfit the space, divided roughly one-third Dolce and two-thirds L’uva.
Dolce reopened in July 2022 with gelato, artisan-grilled cheese sandwiches and really good coffee. Soon, they added fresh-baked NYC bagels from Terrace Bagels in Brooklyn.
L’uva took a little longer to complete and opened in February 2023, with a dedicated wine cellar and impressive wine list curated by Booth.
In the first year of business, Starkville Daily News awarded L’uva the area’s Best Wine List. The wine bar also offers charcuterie boards, flatbreads, and tapas-style dishes, along with upscale desserts. Visit Mississippi recently featured L’uva in a Girls Night Out campaign TV spot, driving more traffic to the thriving wine bar.
“Response has been great,” said Robbie. “It’s the only wine bar in the Golden Triangle and one of only a few in north Mississippi. We’ve had folks come from all around the area to visit and they turn into repeat customers. It’s got a great atmosphere and is truly one of the few adult bars around.”
And then, in the fall of 2024, another speed bump emerged. The Mississippi State Bulldogs finished the football season with a dismal 2-10 record. Attendance dwindled at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field for home football games.
“As the football season progressed, we saw a decrease in revenue as crowds lessened through the semester,” he said.
Despite that bump in the road, 2024 ended with roughly $630,000 in sales, with L’uva accounting for 80 percent of the revenue.
One area of unexpected growth: special events such as graduation parties, bridal showers, holiday parties and professional events. The space seats 50 comfortably and can be expanded into the Dolce side for larger parties.
“It’s been a really nice ride,” said Robbie, who anticipates $750,000 in sales in 2025.
Lynne Jeter
