Local establishment offers eclectic experience

By Justin McLeod | Published: Thursday, August 25, 2005

They've got fire eaters, belly dancers, over 50 different beers and 32 different hookah flavors. Sound unique? As Obin Olsen, a regular at the Juggling Gypsy put it, "most places try to be different; this place is different."

Sebastian Gomez, known as Bash, and his fiancée, Marcy Whipkins, own and manage the Juggling Gypsy, which is located at 1612 Castle Street. The couple opened the Juggling Gypsy in February of 2004 as a place to relax after a monotonous nine to five day.

Gomez is the resident fire spinner at the Juggling Gypsy. Whipkins, the resident belly dancer and fire-eater, is considered the mother of the Gypsy.

According to Whipkins, she hopes the Gypsy will be "that one little place people remember from their college days."

Together, Gomez and Whipkins also have a belly dancing and fire-dancing troupe. The part restaurant, part coffee house and bar will transport its guests away from Wilmington, leaving them to journey beyond the realm of reality.

As a hookah-oriented establishment, it's not a turn-and-burn diner, considering the hookah itself takes close to 40 minutes to smoke. Hookahs are pipes that pass tobacco smoke over bubbling water. Often using flavored tobacco, the experience is milder than usual tobacco products and many find it enjoyable.

Bash considers the menu to be American or international eclectic, featuring no fried foods. From pizza and garlic bread, to burritos and nachos, they offer numerous ethnic cuisines that can be personalized to specific tastes.

The Gypsy also has a small selection of tasty vegetarian meals and plans to add on to its vegan line. Their current menu includes a veggie burger, chicken alternatives and tofu.

Food at the Gypsy is moderately priced around six dollars except for pizzas, which cost close to 10 dollars.

Virtually every day of the week there's something special happening at the Gypsy. Fridays are open music jam night, inviting people to join the jam or enjoy the tunes. On Tuesdays it's Kung Fu Movie Festival with Asian themed specials and on Sundays the Gypsy entertains its guests with horror flicks from 4-10 p.m.

For more info log on to www.home.earthlink.net/~jugglinggypsy.