Imagine relaxing after a long day of work at a lounge that might’ve come from a movie set. Wine or cocktail of choice in hand, you lounge among the cool greens and warm taupes, enjoying some fabulous live music – and possibly a bowl of mouthwatering calamari – with some of the trendiest professionals in town.

Believe it or not, in this scenario, you’re not sitting in a hyper-chic lounge in Los Angeles, New York or even Dallas. You’re right here in Corpus Christi at Bombay Lounge and Grill, the stylish, new “escape” that has what owner Lindsey Edwards calls “a modern, industrial feel and a chic vibe that you might find at a lounge in Houston or Austin.”

When it comes to Houston and Austin, Edwards and her business partner, David Berlanga III, certainly know their demographics, as Edwards was born in Houston and lived there until she attended college at Texas A&M Corpus Christi, and Berlanga, a Corpus Christi native, spent college and 10 additional years working in the Capitol City.

“[Lindsey and I] met through friends after I came back to Corpus,” Berlanga said. “I was working in financing in Austin, but I decided to come back because a lot of my business was here, and my family and my friends also still lived here, so I had a good support system.”

Although they’re business partners who say they “work really well together,” Edwards and Berlanga are partners in more ways than one. As business partners for almost one year and a couple for three, they “do everything from mow the lawn and manage the staff to [go] home and watch T.V. together,” according to Edwards. “As long as we’ve known each other, we’ve always been involved in business.”

And Edwards and Berlanga weren’t exactly novices when it came to business, either, since they both boast business degrees and previous bar-management experience.

As a couple, though, they shared a passion for business and a willingness to put in the time and effort to make a business work. They also happened to live in what Edwards calls “a great place for business.” So they took advantage.

“David and I were always talking about what we wanted to do in Corpus in terms of business and what we missed in Austin and Houston,” Edwards said. “And we saw a gap here as far as business goes; there are lots of things that Corpus still ‘needs,’ so to speak. The competition isn’t as high, and the cost is lower. So we said, ‘What better place to start a business than Corpus?’”

With that in mind, Edwards and Berlanga set out to “find a niche that not many other people had discovered in Corpus,” according to Berlanga. “Most bars around here are college dive bars, so there aren’t many nicer lounges with that high-end atmosphere and look. That’s what we were going for because that’s what we were used to. We wanted to build a business that was different to Corpus, but that also showed our personality.”

And when Berlanga says, “build a business,” he means it literally. According to Edwards, “we did everything from draw up the blue prints to put up the walls. We built it, designed it, painted it, personally selected everything that went into it and basically did everything ourselves.”

With a little help from family and friends – particularly from Berlanga’s father and Edwards’ sister, aunt, brother-in-law and family friend, Ricardo Montalvo – and a lot of “exhausting” hard work, Edwards and Berlanga “literally built the business from the ground up.” Although it was a “huge challenge,” according to Edwards, “it was worth it.”

These two were very hands-on from the beginning. In other words, they aren’t the stereotypical bosses who run the show via telephone and middleman from a resort across the country. Even today – almost a year into the business – Edwards and Berlanga remain very closely involved with all things Bombay.

“We not only work hand-in-hand with our staff, but we spend time with our customers on a one-on-one basis,” Berlanga said. “We have relationships with the people [who] come into the lounge. If we’re not there, our regulars [say], ‘[Where are] Lindsey and David?’”

Thanks to this approach, Bombay may look like an ultra-trendy lounge you’d find in one of America’s chicest cities, but its vibe has one thing in common with the more traditional beach bars: a fun and friendly atmosphere.

“It’s amazing how many friends we have,” Edwards said. “Even the people we know through the business – we really do consider them friends. When we need help, we have so many people who will help us. We don’t even have to ask. I’ll say, ‘You don’t have to do that,’ and they’ll say, ‘I know I don’t have to. I want to.’ Our friends are really there for us, and that’s been a blessing.”

Of course, as two genuine lovers of Corpus Christi, Edwards and Berlanga have no problem returning the favor. When it comes to helping the community, the two of them are markedly generous not only with their spare time, but also with the lounge itself.

“We volunteer a lot,” Berlanga said. “We also put on a lot of events at the lounge, which is another thing about us that’s kind of different. We’ll volunteer the venue for various charities, non-profits and city organizations, and they’ll hold events, collect funds at the door and raise money and awareness for their cause. We also personally arrange the events. We’re open to anybody and everybody as long as they’re helping the community in some way.”

The generosity shown by Edwards and Berlanga allows them to “kill two birds with one stone,” as the cliché goes, and help the community while giving their business an edge.

“The biggest complaint in Corpus is that there’s nothing to do,” Berlanga said. “But people can come here and escape for an hour – meet people, shake hands with business professionals or just hang out and have fun. There aren’t a lot of places that drive those kinds of activities and constantly have something fun going on.”

When it comes to fun, although Edwards and Berlanga are serious business owners, they still find time for a little fun of their own – and a little romance.

“Business is demanding, but for us, it works out really well,” Edwards said. “If I’m stressed out about the business, I can talk to David about it because he understands and shares the stress and vice versa. And we’ll go to dinner, go to the beach or find other ways to relax and enjoy personal time. At first it was hard, but now that we’re a year into the business and three years into the relationship, I think we’ve found a good balance.”

For more information on Bombay Lounge and Grill, visit www.bombaycc.net.