A rendering of Botanica (Saha Hospitality Group)
Cocktails, North Park

NFT Art Coming to the Heart of North Park

By Frank Sabatini Jr.

An art-forward cocktail bar called Botanica is expected to splash onto University Avenue in North Park by summer’s end. It will be one of the few places in the country serving as a marketplace for NFT art.

Which begs the question among non-techy, commerce-challenged artists (and everyday people as well): What the heck is NFT art?

NFT stands for Non Fungible Tokens. In the creative world they are encoded, digital artifacts of art, music, fashion and videos—purchased and sold sometimes with cryptocurrency—and without the involvement of agents. (It took watching a short explainer video about NFTs for this writer to get his curious little head around the concept, which is spreading rapidly within digital culture.)

Botanica will represent artists from all corners of the globe. Their works displayed on custom-made framed screens. Patrons can also imbibe on botanical-infused spirits such as genever and fine gins as they lounge or shop for art.

The 1,500-square-foot venture is being launched by Be Saha Hospitality Group, which also runs Wormwood in North Park and Tahona in Old Town.