5 Questions with Sam Rubenstine

The Vibe's Sam Rubenstine on what it actually takes to create one.

1. What is The Vibe, in your own words, for someone who hasn't found it yet?

It's exactly what it sounds like. A place, a feeling, an energy that people recognise the moment they walk in. I wanted to build something that people talk about before they even try to describe it.

2. Brighton is hardly short of places competing for attention. What made you back yourself anyway?

Everywhere has competition. The question is whether you're offering something real or just taking up space. I wasn't interested in doing what already existed. If there's no gap, you make one.

3. What kind of person does The Vibe genuinely serve best?

Someone who knows what they like but is still open to being surprised. People who care about the experience, not just the transaction. They tend to find us and then wonder how they managed without.

4. What's the biggest misconception people have before they engage with you?

That 'vibe' is soft. That it's decoration. It isn't. Getting the atmosphere, the detail, the feeling precisely right is proper, serious work. It just doesn't look like hard work from the outside, which I suppose is the point.

5. Finish this sentence: you should come to The Vibe if...

...you're done settling for fine. Fine is everywhere. We're not fine.