The Sound Garden houses a colorful atmosphere and stage for live music. -DAVID WISHTISCHIN / FLORIDA WEEKLY
A humble building with humble beginnings sits along McGregor Boulevard. Plain walls and a modest exterior give little away. But step inside Sound Garden Kava Bar, and the modest exterior gives way to a vibrant, immersive interior. Artwork fills the space—frames line one wall, a graffiti-covered wall anchors the room and a stage stands ready for live music.
More than anything, though, it’s the feeling that defines the space—a community that seems ready to welcome anyone who walks through the door.
For owner Brian Hartman, that sense of belonging isn’t accidental. It’s the entire point.
“I’m an artist at heart,” Hartman said. “I’m not a bar owner that happens to be in a band. I’m a guy in a band that happens to own a bar.”
The Sound Garden and Kava Bar on McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers. -DAVID WISHTISCHIN / FLORIDA WEEKLY
Before opening Sound Garden, Hartman spent years grinding through the local music scene—hauling equipment across town, playing multiple nights a week for little or no pay, just to be seen.
“I had to scratch and claw to get anywhere with music,” he said. “It took me quite a while before I was able to get on a real stage and play real shows.”
That experience shaped his vision. When the opportunity came to open his own place, Hartman saw it as a chance to remove some of those barriers for others.
“I kind of viewed it as a way to jumpstart people,” he said. “It takes out a lot of the grind. That was the mission behind it—to give back to the community that had uplifted me and my guys.”
Today, Sound Garden’s stage is intentionally built with musicians in mind—down to the smallest details. Hartman personally designed it, making sure it’s large, functional and equipped in ways performers often don’t find at smaller venues.
That same attention carries into every aspect of the bar, from the artwork on the walls to the drinks behind the counter. Fresh ingredients are prioritized, even if they cut into profit margins.
“I will almost always cut my margin a little bit to be able to provide an elevated experience,” Hartman said. “When you put a drink in front of somebody and their first reaction is, ‘Wow, this looks great,’ and then they drink it and say, ‘Wow, this tastes great,’ that’s what we strive for.”
But while the aesthetic and the product matter, it’s the people who define the space.
Hartman recalls one of his earliest experiences at a kava bar—sitting next to a stranger, bonding over a song playing in the background. That conversation led to a job opportunity, a bandmate, and eventually a business partner.
“The first person I ever met at a kava bar is now somebody I’ve been in business with for four years,” he said.
It’s a story that mirrors what happens inside Sound Garden almost nightly.
“There are activities, there’s stuff to do, but it’s also a meeting place,” Hartman said. “People get homework done here. They hang out. It’s very art-centered.”
Sound Garden’s General Manager Scott Robinson echoes that idea, describing the space as something fundamentally different from a traditional bar.
Inside The Sound Garden and Kava Bar on McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers. -DAVID WISHTISCHIN / FLORIDA WEEKLY
“It’s a very relaxed atmosphere here compared to a typical bar,” he said. “People relax, and they feel safe here.”
That sense of safety—and intention—has become increasingly important as more people look for alternatives to alcohol-centered nightlife.
“I’m not anti-alcohol,” Hartman said. “But when you work behind a bar for so many years, you see what that does to people. You can watch lives deteriorate in real time.”
At Sound Garden, those concerns are replaced with something else: connection.
One night, about a year after opening, Hartman met an older man who walked in expecting a beer. After learning the bar was nonalcoholic, the man stayed—and opened up about his struggles with alcoholism.
“He told me nobody had treated him like a human in a long time,” Hartman said. “That moment brought me all the way back to why I put this place together in the first place.”
Stories like that aren’t rare here. Regulars describe the space less like a business and more like a safe place.
“I’m here pretty much every day,” said Renee Lodick, a customer who moved to Fort Myers from New York five years ago. “It’s the community. I’ve made so many friends here—it’s like a family.”
For many, that sense of belonging fills a gap left by traditional nightlife.
“I’m not a big drinker,” she said. “It’s a really great place for people who don’t drink, because they kind of feel left out at bars.”
Instead, Sound Garden offers something different: music, conversation, games and a space where interaction feels natural.
“You can talk to pretty much anybody here,” she said. “You’re going to have at least two friends by the time you leave.”
That outcome is exactly what Hartman hopes for.
“I want everybody to walk in here—no matter where they’re from, no matter their background—and say, ‘Wow, this place was made for me,’” he said.
In a time when connection can feel increasingly rare, spaces like Sound Garden are carving out something meaningful—one conversation, one song, and one drink at a time.
Inside The Sound Garden and Kava Bar on McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers. -DAVID WISHTISCHIN / FLORIDA WEEKLY
IN THE KNOW:
WHAT: The Sound Garden Kava Bar
WHEN: 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. all week.
MORE INFO: thesoundgardenkava.com
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