Bruno Amicci has a deep fascination with the 1930s and with the art, film and culture from a time when America — even after being knocked around in the Great Depression — retained a profound sense of inventiveness and optimism.
So when the Portland businessman and founder of Triad Technology Group heard that the historic Luepke building, a downtown Vancouver art deco landmark from 1936, was for sale in April, he bought it.
And when he more recently heard that the 105-year-old business on the site, Luepke Florist, was going to go out of business, he bought that, too.
The purchase was finalized Monday afternoon.
“I just didn’t want to see an old institution like that die,” said Amicci, who purchased the company — which will remain open through the transition — about a week ago.
His plan is to revitalize the Luepke building and the florist and turn the area into “Luepke Station,” a downtown area with a coffee shop, wine bar or tap room and upscale eatery eventually rounding out the building, Amicci said.
“We were looking for a creative experience,” Amicci said of himself and his partner, Kerry Kurth. “It’s sort of a retirement project. We want to give the whole building a face-lift and make it a kind of art deco meets Pacific Northwest destination.”
The couple also own Low Bar at 809 Washington St. in downtown Vancouver and have become increasingly interested in revitalization efforts and working with the Vancouver Downtown Association.
“Bruno and his business partner are the types of investors that come in and look for something authentic that reflects positively in the community, and then they add their spin to it,” said Lee Rafferty, the association’s executive director. “In the case of Luepke Florist, it’s 105 years of a very rich brand, and he wants to honor that, which I find very encouraging.”
Amicci, who owns an Internet technology staffing company, said he wants to keep as many of the florist’s current employees as he can. And then he wants to add more staff, provide more training and encourage creative development at the shop, he said.
“I believe in relationships and long-term employment,” Amicci said. “We’re putting our hearts and our treasure in this. I really believe in what Vancouver is doing.”
Rafferty said she thinks Amicci’s interest in downtown Vancouver will be good for the city.
“He has the kind of vision we like and we welcome to downtown Vancouver,” Rafferty said. “I know he’s got wonderful ideas. I find him to be bright and open. He wants to come in and make things better.”
Kurth hopes to take over as creative director of the florist, and Amicci wants to get the site added to the National Register of Historic Places, he said.
“This happened so fast,” Amicci said. “I had to learn everything about flower shops in the last week. We’ll be looking for designers, for delivery people. I’m excited. I’m giddy.”
The couple hope to move from the Portland area to Vancouver in the next year or so. And Amicci said he also wants to delve into community projects and find ways to improve the area.
“I love Vancouver,” he said. “I used to live … in a floating home. I’d go to the Vancouver Farmers Market almost every weekend. It’s a great place.”
He bought Low Bar two years ago as an outlet for his creative side. After years in IT and working for Hewlett-Packard, he wanted to try something new.
“I’ve always had this creative side that I had to keep in check while I was in the corporate world,” Amicci said. “I always wanted to have a place where you can feel like it’s comfortable, with fantastic food, so we founded Low Bar. We went for it, it became successful and it felt good — really good. So we started looking for another project.”
The couple are keeping several employees at Luepke’s and have also lined up a wedding expert and a corporate bouquet expert. And they want to round out their offerings with some local chocolate and jewelry for floral gift baskets.
“We’re not going to compete with Safeway,” he said. “We want to be individual and creative. I want to send our designers to a floral design institute. I will never stand in the way of these guys’ expressing themselves. That’s what we want.”
In some ways, the things he loves about the 1930s are an inspiration for his vision of downtown, he said.
“It would have been a good time to be alive and in the West, when everything was open, the future was open,” Amicci said. “Technology was understandable, you knew how a car or phone worked. There was a sense of invention and ingenuity, even as World War II loomed. There was hope. That’s what I really want to capture.”
