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Artwork for Opening Soon

Opening Soon

Alan Li
New York City
Pop-Up Grocer
Three Cities Social Club
Fellini Coffee
Chicago
Artsy Studio
Ziggy's Roman Cafe
New York Memento
Berg Hospitality Group
Ska Brewing
Blue Dove Coffee
Venture Capital
House Of Tone
Glo Up Chicago
Jonny's Pizza
Entrepreneurship
Wally Health
Retail
Chobani
Houston

Opening Soon is the podcast where we go behind the scenes with founders of brick-and-mortar businesses - from Pilates studios to coffee shops, boutiques, medspas, and more.

Hosted by Alan Li, co-founder of FotoLab Studio and Signs and Mirrors, each episode explores how real entrepreneurs found their space, designed their store, hired their team, and built something from nothing.

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes34Foundeda year ago
Number of ListenersCategories
EntrepreneurshipBusinessCareers

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Artwork for Opening Soon

Latest Episodes

Andy Gottlieb is the founder of Sandwell. A New York City sandwich brand focused on serving healthy-ish sandwiches made with high quality proteins, fresh baked bread and simple ingredients. What started as a search for a sandwich he wanted to eat eve... more

Liam Hyde is the founder of Clubhouse Golf. A premium indoor golf simulator concept in New York City that officially opened in April 2026. Designed as a 24/7, self-service golf experience, Clubhouse Golf is rethinking what indoor golf can look like. more

In this episode, we sit down with Michelle Larivee, co-founder and CEO of WTHN. An acupuncture and wellness brand with multiple locations across New York City focused on making Eastern medicine more accessible through acupuncture, herbal therapy and ... more

Rick Rosenfield is the co-founder of California Pizza Kitchen. The restaurant brand that helped pioneer California style pizza and introduced the world to the iconic barbecue chicken pizza.

Before launching California Pizza Kitchen, Rick spent more ... more

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Recent Guests

David Liu
Founder of Kinjo, Omakase counter and cocktail lounge in Dumbo; former co-founder of The Knot; oyster farmer
Kinjo; The Knot (former co-founder)
Episode: From Tech Founder (The Knot) to Omakase Restauranteur (Kinjo) - David Liu
Franco Noriega
Founder of Fellini Coffee
Fellini Coffee
Episode: How Franco Noriega Built 15-sq-ft Fellini Coffee Into One of NYC’s Most Viral Brands
Dave Thibodeau
Founder of Ska Brewing
Ska Brewing
Episode: Building a $10M Brewery starting in high school: The 30 Year Journey of Ska Brewing
Draymond Washington
Founder of Three Cities Social Club, Chicago-based membership club
Three Cities Social Club
Episode: Building a $1 million Social Club with Draymond Washington (Three Cities Social Club)
Helen Zhang
Co-founder of Ziggy's Roman Cafe; former hospitality PR veteran and brand marketer
Ziggy's Roman Cafe
Episode: Building Ziggy’s Roman Cafe: A Family-Friendly Restaurant Born From Parenting Reality
Vincent Finazzo
Founder of Riverwards Produce; former Whole Foods and wholesale broker
Riverwards Produce
Episode: From Garage Pop-Up to $16M Grocery Store: The Riverwards Produce Story with Vincent Finazzo
Emily Schildt
Founder of Pop-Up Grocer, experienced marketer in food/brand space
Pop-Up Grocer
Episode: From Chobani to Pop-Up Grocer: How Emily Schildt Built a New Kind of Grocery Store
Stéphane Courseau
French-born Dallas restaurateur and founder of Travis Street Hospitality
Travis Street Hospitality
Episode: From Dishwasher to $6MM Dallas Restaurateur: The Unexpected Journey of Stephan Courseau
Ireland McGill
Founder of New York Memento, a photo booth concept in West Village
New York Memento
Episode: From Big Tech to a 19-Sq-Ft Photo Booth: Building Memento with Ireland McGill

Host

Alan Li
Host of the show; co-founder of the brand behind creative spaces and signage studios; leads conversations with founders about space, design, and operations.

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 3 ratings
  • San Diego store

    Love hearing stories of other retail founders. We own a small store in San Diego so helpful to hear the lessons from others!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Stocklover1987
    United States9 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners appreciate real-world constraints and risk-tolerant strategies from founders.
Guests deliver practical, ground-level guidance for running brick-and-mortar concepts.
The conversations feel actionable for both aspiring guests and sponsoring brands.
Stories emphasize lean startups, partnerships, and community-building in urban spaces.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Building Miami’s First Hand Roll Bar with Edouard Benitah of Pari Pari
Q: Tell me about your background in New York City restaurants and why the hand roll concept appealed to you.
He describes working in a French restaurant, leveraging language and cultural familiarity, and how the hand roll concept's simplicity and efficiency appealed as a scalable model.
Building Miami’s First Hand Roll Bar with Edouard Benitah of Pari Pari
Q: Before we dive in, could you give a little bit of your background and how you got here?
Edouard explains his French roots, how he moved to the US, started in the restaurant business in NYC, and eventually pursued the Enrollbar concept in LA before bringing it to Miami with partners and investors.
From SaaS to Salons: How Jordan Feise Built Two of a Kind
Q: How did you fund the venture initially and why did you choose bootstrapping?
She self-funded the launch, starting with a branded photo shoot, branding, a Sprinter van, and first hires, using personal capital as a forcing function to move quickly without external funding.
From SaaS to Salons: How Jordan Feise Built Two of a Kind
Q: What experiences from Silicon Valley startups influenced your pivot to Two of a Kind?
Her time in B2B SaaS exposed her to scaling at multiple stages, from unicorns to scrappy startups, and taught her how to build repeatable processes and campaigns that she now applies to her brow business.
Pilates Studio Owner at 23 Years Old - Sheridan St. Claire
Q: When did you start Symmetry Pilates and what were the initial challenges?
She discusses starting in 2019 with a broader 'Symmetry Studios' concept, the 2020 Covid-related delays, and the pivot to a pure Pilates studio, including rent negotiations and early buildout hurdles.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
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Frequently Asked Questions About Opening Soon

What is Opening Soon about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This series spotlights founders building and scaling brick-and-mortar concepts, from neighborhood cafés and pop-ups to multi-concept restaurant groups and experiential retail. Episodes consistently center on real-world pragmatism: navigating leases, financing, team-building, and unit economics, with a strong emphasis on community, brand storytelling, and hands-on operations. Listeners can expect actionable takeaways on lean startup tactics, site selection, partnerships, and marketing that supports sustainable growth in physical spaces. A notable through-line is the spotlight on founder resilience and collaborative strategies, often featuring family-led ventures, hands-on operators, and boutique concepts that prioritize guest experience and ... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Opening Soon?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Opening Soon:

1. Good Hang with Amy Poehler
2. unPAUSED with Dr. Mary Claire Haver
3. Aspire with Emma Grede
4. The Daily
5. The Ezra Klein Show

How many episodes of Opening Soon are there?

Opening Soon launched a year ago and published 34 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Opening Soon?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

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Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Opening Soon from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

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What guests have appeared on Opening Soon?

Recent guests on Opening Soon include:

1. David Liu
2. Franco Noriega
3. Dave Thibodeau
4. Draymond Washington
5. Helen Zhang
6. Vincent Finazzo
7. Emily Schildt
8. Stéphane Courseau

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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