The plaza at 7802 Rue Vendome is small enough to cross in a few dozen steps. It has a fountain in the middle and a row of storefronts along 71st Street. For the rest of November, those storefronts are also the people booking the plaza's entertainment.
The organizer named on nearly every flyer is the Normandy Fountain Business Association, a group of local merchants who use the plaza to send guests into their own businesses. Their November calendar runs guests from the fountain into a bar, a boutique, a florist, a Turkish grill and a wine shop. A dance battle, a ribbon cutting, a $20 ticket and a fountain lighting all lead back to the same block.
| Date | What | Where it ends up | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 7 | LOVEisLOVE Miami Hip Hop Block Party | Afterparty at Bob's Your Uncle | Free with RSVP |
| Thu., Nov. 12 | Aurora Cafe ribbon cutting | Aurora Boutique, 1040 71st Street | Reception, RSVP |
| Thu., Nov. 19 | NoBe Shop Hop | Shops on 71st, then a fountain concert | $20 |
| Sun., Nov. 29 | Festival of Lights | Tree, menorah and fountain lighting | Community event |
A Calendar Written by the Storefronts
The Association started the month on Sunday, November 1, with a free screening of Toy Story 5. It was the plaza's once-a-month movie night, which the Association runs with the Miami Film Festival. That pairing sets the pattern for the rest of November. A cultural partner provides the programming, and the merchants provide the place and the reason to stay.
On Saturdays the plaza is busy before any evening event starts. The Normandy Village Marketplace is listed as a weekly Saturday market at Rue Vendome and 71st Street, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with dates listed on November 7, 14 and 21. On November 7, the market and the month's largest evening event happen on the same pavement.
Saturday, November 7: The Plaza Opens the Night and Bob's Your Uncle Closes It
The fourth annual LOVEisLOVE Miami Hip Hop Block Party runs from 6 to 10 p.m. at the fountain. Sybarite Productions presents it, Rich Medina and Dante's HiFi curate the music, and the Museum of Graffiti supports it. The program covers hip-hop's five elements: DJs, MCs, breaking, graffiti and an all-styles dance battle with a $500 prize. KingLxffy, Staccato and Logistx judge the battle. DJ Rogue plays the battle music and DNA hosts. DJ LS One leads the block party portion, with Cyn Rose as an MC. UncuttArt and MDOTBLAKE.com provide graffiti and visual art, and local vendors and hip-hop history programming round out the evening.
Admission is free, but you need to RSVP on Eventbrite.
After the block party, a separate afterparty follows at Bob's Your Uncle, the neighborhood bar at 928 71st Street, with Jarobi of A Tribe Called Quest and DJ Kumi. The free event at the fountain hands its audience to a business a few doors away.
Two Thursdays That Lead Into the Shops
November 12: A Boutique Adds a Café
Aurora Boutique is a locally woman-owned fashion shop at 1040 71st Street. The Association calls it "a beloved local business for many years now." The owner has expanded with a café, Aurora Cafe. On Thursday, November 12, the Association is hosting a "Support Local Spotlight" for it, with a cocktail reception from 5:30 p.m. featuring coffee-inspired cocktails and light bites. The ribbon cutting is at 6:30. The Association asks guests to RSVP by phone at 404-423-2354.
A boutique adding a café gives people a reason to stop by when they aren't shopping for clothes. One week later, the Association's biggest commercial event of the month tries the same thing across the whole street.
November 19: The NoBe Shop Hop
The NoBe Shop Hop is a partnership with the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce. The Association lists it from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets cost $20 through the Shop Hop's Eventbrite page. They include free bites, swag and drinks from participating mom-and-pop businesses, and the Association says all of the ticket money goes back to those businesses. The Greater Miami and Miami Beach tourism listing describes the route as beginning at Normandy Village Fountain.
These are the businesses the Association names, by street address:
- SUMAK, 908 71st Street, a Turkish restaurant serving kebaps and charcoal-grilled dishes.
- Bob's Your Uncle, 928 71st Street, the neighborhood bar that also hosts the November 7 afterparty.
- Normandy Gourmandy, 932 71st Street, a food and wine shop that stocks wine, beer, cheeses, cured meats, truffles and caviar. It opened in 2023.
- Abbott Florist, 1008 71st Street, a family-owned flower shop that has served Miami Beach since 1990. Its site says it is celebrating 36 years.
- Aurora Boutique, 1040 71st Street, the home of the new Aurora Cafe.
All five addresses fall between 908 and 1040 on the same street. The Association says "many more" businesses are taking part. The walk is short enough to do in an evening and still get back to the plaza. At 7:30 p.m. the hopping ends and Alexander Zenoz and the Birds of Paradise play a free concert at the fountain until 8:30. The Association calls them one of the fountain's favorite performers.
November 29: A Pastor, a Rabbi and the Mayor Light the Plaza
The month ends with the Association's annual Festival of Lights on Sunday evening, November 29. Pastor Kipp of St. Johns on the Lake lights the Christmas tree with help from the Miami Beach Police Department. Rabbi Hadar of Temple Moses lights the Normandy Menorah, and Mayor Meiner lights the Normandy Fountain. The Association books the music through its partnership with the SoBe Jazz Fest. This year the performers are vocalist Ari Reinoso and Lindsey Alley, a former Mouseketeer with Broadway, TV and film credits, who is making her fountain debut.
The earlier events steered people toward particular shops. This one brings in the area's congregations and City Hall, and it still happens at the same fountain, organized by the same merchants.
The Next Address on the Block: 933 Normandy Drive
The next new business on the block comes from a well-known chef. Giorgio Rapicavoli, who runs Eating House and Luca Osteria in Coral Gables, has announced Luca Trattoria for 933 Normandy Drive. The Miami Herald reported in August that the restaurant was expected to open this fall. The Herald also reported that its menu will be Italian, adjusted slightly for the neighborhood, with bar manager Eddie Fuentes running the beverage program. The Herald placed the address near Silverlake Bistro and the Japanese restaurant Katana, and across the bridge from Cafe Prima Pasta.
Rapicavoli has a personal connection to the area. He told Miami New Times that he and his longtime business partner, Alex Casanova, "lived in North Beach for many years as we started our careers together and opened Eating House in 2012, so this area is very special to us." He described the new restaurant as Luca Osteria's slightly more relaxed sister. In the same New Times interview he said, "Luca Trattoria will have a slightly more laid-back feel due to its proximity to the beach and neighborhood atmosphere."
City rules have also made openings like this easier. In February, Miami New Times reported on a Miami Beach ordinance that streamlines restaurant approvals in the 71st Street and Normandy Drive area and along Collins Avenue from 65th to 75th streets. Among other changes, it removes the conditional-use permit requirement for qualifying restaurants.
North Beach has also lost a restaurant this fall. Edible South Florida reported in October that Taquiza in North Beach has closed because the property is making way for a new development. The Taquiza team's Little River location, where they've made tortillas, is now open to customers.
The Bandshell Keeps Its Own Calendar
The Normandy Fountain events fit around a busy schedule at the North Beach Bandshell. On fountain weekends, two of its listings line up well. Miami Beach ¡Baila! is on Sunday, November 22, three days after the Shop Hop. The Thanksgiving Roller Disco is on Friday, November 27, two days before the Festival of Lights. Roda de Samba with Soul Samba plays the Bandshell on November 7, the same evening as the block party, so you have a choice to make that Saturday night.
If your weekends this month revolve around the fountain, Marcelo also follows the buildings and homes along those same blocks of Normandy Isles. Before the restaurant at 933 Normandy Drive changes the street again, he can show you what your place is worth today, in English or Spanish. Marcelo Steinmander offers a free home valuation that reflects how your block is changing.
