As we enter the finishing build out on The Vineyard Wine Bar one thing can be said for certain….. the days are long…. and they all run together too!

We’ve been averaging 15 hour days and we’ve been working Saturday and Sunday getting the wine bar ready… that’s the main reason you haven’t heard from me for a couple weeks…. but boy do I have a lot to talk about in this update. So hold on to your seats cause here we go with the latest………..

Stef  Roman, our electrician has been on the job for just about 6 weeks now running new electric wire, (it’s got to be about 3 to 4 miles of wire at this point), through the ceilings, and floors, and walls setting up the ceiling fans, track lighting, dimmers, kitchen and bar usage….. and he’s taken such an “ownership” in the wine bar that not only has his electrical experience been helpful…. But his ideas have been equal to that of a restaurant designer. The lighting is looking good, and Stef has added some nice touches.

Our painter, Kim Little has finished restoration to the original, tin ceiling in the bar area and accented it with metallic paint that makes the room “Pop”. She’s also “sponged” the bar walls with the same paint as the ceiling which really marries the ceiling with the walls. In the lounge she’s blended burgundy walls with a sandstone “faux” fireplace wall that has had visitors tapping it to see if it’s real block. We think the lounge is going to be a popular place to “park” for the evening and enjoy wine and tapas.

Our Quarry was delivered in the pouring rain last Friday and it took the quarry mechanics 6 and a half hours to position the 20 foot slab on the bar and install the 24 foot ledge against the wall. WOW, does it look awesome, and a few local “visitors” have commented about the dramatic change. The place is really starting to look comfortable.

Our bar stools, high top tables, and dining tables arrived at 7:00 am yesterday morning and they are now stacked in the lounge area awaiting their permanent place in the wine bar area.

We started moving out the kitchen equipment from our garages and basements over the weekend and there is finally room to move around again…. Although the kitchen and lounge in the wine bar is now very crowded!!!

We picked up our wine racks and they are ready to be assembled and positioned as soon as the carpet is laid.

We’ve hired the first of our “support team” Gina, Cathy, and Natisha will be starting their training next Thursday, and we are looking for 2 to 3 addition “support staff” to round out the service team.

…… AND….. speaking of “support team”…… we are very pleased to announce that after a long, extensive search, and numerous interviews, we have finally found our Chef……… in Cincinnati, Ohio, of all places! Chef Gabriel Caruthers is moving his family from Cincinnati this weekend and relocating to nearby Conowingo. Chef Gabriel has some very creative ideas and should WOW you with his small plate creations. We are very excited to have him join The Vineyard Wine Bar family. He starts next Monday, September 21^st and has a full agenda as we get him acclimated.

Today, our finishing crew started building out the back bar shelving, and will start the finishing touches to the bar face, molding, window trim, base trim, and other “finishing” treatments. (We finished the bar itself this past weekend complete with quarry tile, FRP, and other necessities and requirements.)

Early next week the hardwood flooring should go in bar area, followed by carpet in the lounge, and then the finishing touches all around.

There is still a lot of detail work to do, but we have a plan of attack, and an execution strategy.

It’s rewarding each time a local resident pokes their head in to see the progress. It’s usually followed by a “Wow”, or a “Whoa”, or “I never thought I’d see the place look this good”, or “I can’t wait for you to open… the place looks remarkable”, or some other verbal encouragement. That really helps make the long hard days and nights worthwhile.

So…. aside from the visual changes to the wine bar and lounge, in our spare time we have been attending to the many dozens of other details that need research and decisions like: negotiating terms for credit card purchases, determining the right computer system, alarm system, WiFi, cable and phone service, and determining the correct mix of kitchen equipment, tax stuff, accountant stuff, wine decisions, food decisions, plates, silverware etc., etc., etc…. as I said earlier, the days are long and they all run together.

…..but I’ve got to tell you….. we wouldn’t have it any other way because it’s all going to be worth it, for you, and for us, when we open.

Speaking of opening….. our new targeted date for opening is mid October. We have inspections to get through after the finishing work, and a final hearing for our liquor license, but if all goes well, (Please let all go well), we should have our “soft” opening the 2^nd week in October and go “live” to the public the mid-part of the 3^rd week. Wish us well as we enter the final build out, the countdown to opening day….. and stay tuned as we get you the final updates, the Grand Opening Celebration Date, and the festivities that will surround “The Destination for Wine Lovers.”

Hope to see you soon at The Vineyard Wine Bar.

Wow, the days are flying by but we’re really making progress. Here’s what’s new…..

As our electricians and carpenters, and tile layers, and sheet rockers, and wire runners, and bar builders have been busy at The Vineyard Wine Bar over the past few weeks, we have been equally busy meeting with food purveyors and wine distributors, tasting and evaluating, and determining what wines, and what foods are worthy of being on the wine list and the tasting menu. It’s been exhausting….. but we’re making great progress, and we’re starting to finalize the menu. We are going to have a selection of pate and cheeses that no one in the area has, combined with a really nice selection of flat breads, and salads, and Antipasti, and….. and ….. and…. Wow, we’re getting really excited about the menu we’re going to be offering. We’ve been very demanding on the quality of the foods so we’ve been keeping our prospective purveyors busy showing us the best of what they have to offer.

We’ve also been looking at plates…. Many different sizes and shapes and configurations of plates…. And silverware, I never realized that there are so many different patterns of silverware out there.

After looking at, and evaluating many different glassware companies, we’ve come to a decision as to what crystal wine glasses we’re going to be using. They are of great quality and we’re thinking about offering them for sale in our retail department for anyone interested. They really accentuate the flavors of the wines.

We’re also going into the final phase of building out the bar and painting the bar and lounge areas. The electrician is almost finished and the painter should be finished by next Friday. The custom Granite bar top will be installed next Friday also. The light fixtures are getting hung and the place is starting to take shape.

The bar stools and tables will arrive in two weeks, and by the middle of next week we’ll start emptying out our garages, and living rooms, and dining rooms, and basements and start moving furniture down to the lounge.

It’s hard to believe that summer is over. I believe it set a new speed record this year. We’re behind schedule, and we’ve missed our initial opening date, but we’re not going to open until we feel the place is the way we want it, and the wine and food choices are up to our, (demanding), standards.

We’re planning an early October opening so we’ll continue to keep you informed as finalize the build out and get ready to open our doors.