ST. THOMAS — Sib’s on the Mountain is more than just a bar and restaurant.
The family-owned business in Estate Elizabeth has served as a cultural bastion on the Northside of St. Thomas for a century, providing a gathering place for the community.
Sib’s is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a two-day event that kicked off Friday night featuring local acts Obsession Band and Scratch Bandits, as well as Freedom Band out of St. Barths.
The activities continued today with a family fun day at Sib’s ballpark that included children’s activities, a bounce house, vendor booths, and arts and crafts. Today’s festivities will culminate with another night of live music at Sib’s, featuring local entertainment by When Band, Top Notch, and Th3rd.
Leo Sibilly II, who has managed the business with his wife, Jennifer, since 2018, discussed how Sib’s has become known as a hangout for locals and visitors alike.
“When you come in on a daily basis, it’s like you see the same people all the time,” he said, adding that tourists are also drawn to the bar and restaurant. “You make it a point to come to Sib’s to see your friends, and to be able to have old stories. It’s known as a staple for people of the Northside, and just being here for all these years, it’s someplace you want to come and visit.”
Joseph Sibilly, Leo’s brother, said Sib’s is known for being a place that is welcoming to its patrons, whether they are engaged in conversation or celebrating that they made it through another storm.
“It’s just been a strong rock for us as a family and we think for the community,” he said.
Founded in 1924 by Jean Sibilly, Leo and Joseph’s grandfather, the restaurant’s centennial milestone falls during Virgin Islands French Heritage Week and the Bastille Day celebrations. Held in observance of the National Day of France, Bastille Day is celebrated annually on July 14 to commemorate the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille prison in Paris during the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789.
It was appropriate for the Sibilly family to hold Sib’s Centennial Celebration during French Heritage Week given the history of the establishment. Jean immigrated to St. Thomas in 1912 from the French Caribbean island of Saint-Barthélemy, or St. Barth, which is known in English as St. Barths, or St. Barts, without an apostrophe.
Joseph recalled when his grandfather relocated to St. Thomas from his native St. Barths.
“My granddad was born in St. Barths, came here at the age of 23,” he said. “My grandmother, Zulma Sibilly, was one of five French ladies that came from St. Barths, along with many other of the French folks up on the Northside and down at Frenchtown area. So, we've always tried to carry on the culture of St. Barths, which is always a celebration type.”
When Jean opened Sib’s in 1924, it was a grocery store.
“As time went on, they started selling liquor in the back of the grocery store,” Leo said. “It transformed into a bar mainly because when the Navy started coming for vacation in the Virgin Islands, they needed a place to relax and have drinks and whatnot, so my grandfather found it suiting to have a bar facility for them.”
Leo said the residents of the Northside used to travel to Sib’s in the early days on donkeys before it became common to have vehicles.
“The trough is still sitting here from back in the day where the donkeys would tie up and drink their water once they got to Sib’s,” he said. “When they came to shop and drink, they came on donkeys and whatever they needed — buying groceries — they put in the donkey boxes and took it back home.”
Loretta Sibilly, Joseph’s wife, said her mother used to go to Sib’s to buy the household staples for her parents.
“Many, many families were very happy to have a place to buy those goods instead of having to go all the way to town to buy, and then travel up the hill on a donkey or by foot,” she said, adding that Sib’s has been an important meeting place for a lot of families. “It’s something that we want to carry on to our children and their children, so instead of a 100-year anniversary, we would love it to keep going to a 200-year anniversary, and on and on and on.”
When he was in high school, Leo said his father, the late Leo Sibilly, operated the family business. He recalled helping his father sell food and drinks at the time. He said his mother, Carmen Sibilly, is the backbone of everything the family does at the restaurant. He said his aunt, Clely Berry, one of his father’s sisters, is the family’s matriarch.
As time progressed, Leo Sibilly II said the family leased the restaurant to a couple different vendors for several years. He said he started overseeing the establishment with one of the leaseholders. A retiree of the Virgin Islands Port Authority, Leo Sibilly II said he and his wife took over the business six years ago. Since then, they made various improvements to the establishment, including the addition of a deck with a roof, a patio area, and the expansion of the kitchen. He said the family has been planning the centennial celebration ever since taking over the business in 2018, noting that his daughter, Lauren Sibilly, spearheaded the festivities. He estimated that between 800 to 900 people attended Friday night’s celebration.
“There’s nowhere else you can tell me that is 100 years old that has been in the same specific location, same establishment for 100 years, so we had quite a celebration here last night,” he said. “We had music from 6 o’clock right up to 1 o’clock this morning, and there was nothing but party and fun.”
The Friday night festivities featured an outdoor concert and block party that packed in attendees on the property at Sib’s, which provided free shuttle service from the Fort Christian parking lot. A common theme among attendees who explained what makes Sib’s unique was the importance of the family environment.
Ricky LaPlace, a member of Scratch Bandits, recalled walking to Sib’s 40 years ago when he was in school. He said he grew up with the Sibilly family, expounding on the ambience at Sib’s.
“You feel at home, because who holds on to a property and passes it down to the family for 100 years and keeps it in the family?” he said, noting the familiar faces from the Sibilly family he sees when he walks into the restaurant. “So, when you come here, it’s family.”
Jose Belcher, while participating in Friday night’s celebration, pointed out the community camaraderie.
“Everybody wants to be here because this is what it’s all about — family,” he said. “It’s family; 100 years of family.”
Felipe Ayala Jr., one of the attendees on Friday, said Sib’s celebrates the best of St. Thomas.
“It’s about community,” he said. “It’s about old families and celebrating the best of Virgin Islands culture, good traditions, good manners, just family.”
