Radio Bean empire grows on North Winooski Avenue

Lee Anderson collects lamps. Lots and lots of lamps.

"I would say that I have a lamp fetish," the Radio Bean proprietor said.

Along with lamps, Anderson is stockpiling another collection in Burlington — buildings on North Winooski Avenue. His original business, the coffeehouse/bar/music venue/bohemian hangout Radio Bean, opened just north of Pearl Street in late 2000. It took him another nine years to expand next-door with the international-street-food-themed restaurant Duino Duende.

When the adjacent Caribbean Buffet closed more than a year ago, Anderson finally knew he could bring his two collections together. He took over that restaurant space next to Duino Duende, moved his copious collection of lighting fixtures inside and in October opened a sophisticated chill-out lounge dubbed the Light Club Lamp Shop.

And with that, the Radio Bean empire has grown again.

"Radio Bean is like a family to me," Caitlin Hill said last Thursday as she sat at the Bean, a few steps from the new venue. "It's soulful and where artists gather." She said she moved to Burlington from the Northeast Kingdom and found a place where she fits in. She's happy to have the latest addition to the family, the Light Club Lamp Shop.

"It's like a nice little oasis," Hill said, adding that she has enjoyed the puppet shows she's seen at the Lamp Shop. "It's gorgeous. I love the wood."

The Lamp Shop offers something the earthy, occasionally raucous Radio Bean and the romantic sit-down eatery Duino Duende do not. Anderson said the Lamp Shop gives patrons a place to sit and relax that the compact Radio Bean doesn't always provide. The new space is meant as a place for conversations among couples or groups.

"One of our biggest draws has been for larger parties coming there for birthdays and such because we have these really large booths for 12-plus people," Anderson said.

Stephen Scuderi of Burlington, who sat near Hill last Thursday at Radio Bean, said the Lamp Shop is a nice addition to Radio Bean and Duino Duende.

"It's like the third eye," he said of the Lamp Shop. The addition of the Lamp Shop, according to Scuderi, reflects the evolution of the Radio Bean complex away from a less-rootsy feel toward a more-upscale vibe that parallels a similar evolution in Burlington itself.

Like Radio Bean, the Lamp Shop offers live music, but it's typically quieter and less frequent than the sounds two buildings over. On an especially frigid Monday night in February, Burlington musician Eric George played old-timey songs on acoustic guitar for a small crowd as he sat on a piece of luggage converted into a kick drum. Last Wednesday night, the music for a larger, warmer audience came from the Julian Chobot Jazz Trio, which played tasteful, mellow instrumental versions of songs such as Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely."

The new space is called the Light Club Lamp Shop for good reason. The ceiling is filled with a floating forest of lighting fixtures. Some are shaded by stained glass, others by fringed cloth. Shelves overflow with dimly glowing table lamps built upon bases of bulbous brass or depictions of musical sprites.

These aren't just decorative lamps; they're for sale. The fixtures bear tags listing their prices and an affectionate name Anderson has given them. Mae and her floral-patterned stained-glass shade will set you back 85 bucks, while Adelia, a demure little glass table lamp, is $40.

Anderson said he sometimes has trouble letting them go when a customer comes in wanting to buy a lamp he named Myrtle or Bonnie.

"It's like naming your chickens," he said.

His plans for the Lamp Shop go beyond selling a few fixtures and drinks and hosting music every night. The venue began with a weekly adult-oriented, professional puppet show, and he wants to make that a regular event again at the Lamp Shop. "There's nothing really like this in town with any regularity," according to Anderson.

He has a continually busy mind; Anderson has a sideline business giving customers lighting advice for their homes and has created spectacles such as the annual Burlington music festival The Precipice. His mind is imagining what he'll do with the back patio behind the Lamp Shop when warmer weather arrives this spring. He said the outdoor space is about twice as large as the Lamp Shop itself, and he's considering all the possible uses for that area, from an organic herb garden to bocce and croquet.

"It's just amazing because it's in the middle of a block," Anderson said.

In other words, the Radio Bean flag will be planted upon one more space along North Winooski Avenue.

If you go:

These shows will take place at the Light Club Lamp Shop in the next week (All start at 8 p.m. with free admission; donations accepted):

• Tonight, jazz from the Shane Hardiman Trio

• Friday, acoustic folk by Francesca Blanchard

• Saturday, instrumental acoustic music from Franky Andreas

• Sunday, the Andrew Moroz Jazz Trio

• Tuesday, Irish-tunes sing-a-long with Samara Lark

• Wednesday, the Julian Chobot Jazz Trio

660-9346, www.radiobean.com

Contact Brent Hallenbeck at 660-1844 or bhallenbeck@freepressmedia.com. Follow Brent on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BrentHallenbeck.