A young Winnipeg entrepreneur is spearheading yet another business venture in the Exchange District.

Peter Takis, 20, turned a high school project selling T-shirts into a business called Blacklist. That company established the Blacklist Boutique on Albert Street and later, Blacklist Studios, where some well-known artists have recorded music, on Portage Avenue, Takis said.

Next month, Takis plans to open a lounge/bar called The List at the old Ragpickers location at 216 McDermot Avenue.

"I believe the Exchange District is starting to be like Gastown in Vancouver, so I wanted to get in there," Takis said of the $500,000 project. "Bars and lounges are really competitive, so I wanted to create something that people believe in."

Takis, a DJ on Virgin Radio, has partnered with two other DJs and a club promoter. He believes the following he created at the Blacklist Boutique will support his latest venture. He established a brand that appeals to the 18-25 crowd and the bar/lounge will do the same, he said.

The location has been completely renovated and will have 16 bathrooms on four floors to serve a capacity of 150 people. Plans are to offer live music acts and "a night of comedy," Takis said. It will be open seven days a week and employ a total of 20-25 people.

"We found that the people who came to our boutique were typically people who loved art and a lot of our fans are making music in their basements," said Takis, adding that some will be invited to play on stage.

"I wanted to build something bigger than retail and much bigger than just a brand," Takis said in the release to announce that the List was coming. "I feel like we've covered everything our core fans want. If you live in the culture, you probably get your clothing from a local boutique, you probably produce or record some type of music and you probably go to a bar on the weekend. We offer all of that on a very high level in different locations under the same brand they know and trust."

The Blacklist Boutique offers urban street wear and accessories for men and women, and an on-site barber. It also specializes in vintage eyewear at affordable prices with the support of Corey Shapiro, a designer of vintage sunglasses, Takis said.

jim.bender@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @bendersun