Wine shop Vino Garage to reopen

Cottontown pioneer Vino Garage is reopening, not far from its former home.

Owner Doug Aylard said in an email that the wine shop, which closed last July when Aylard decided not to renew his lease at 2327 Main St., will open its doors again at 2501 Main St., at the corner of Main and Confederate.

Aylard said when the wine shop closed that it had outgrown the refurbished transmission shop it had occupied since first popping the cork in 2012.

“I want to thank those who expressed their concern and good wishes over those long months, and I apologize to those who had to buy wine at the grocery store,” Aylard said in Monday’s email.

Aylard said the new location will feature both glasses and bottles of wine. Bottles can be opened on-premise for a $10 charge, the email said, and beer will also be served.

“We pared the selections down to the best-selling ones and some personal favorites,” Aylard said in the email. He said wines by the glass will change regularly and “as we are who we are, they won’t be no Chardonnays.”

Vino Garage helped spur the revitalization of the North Main business district, home to other pioneers such as War Mouth Gastropub and Indah Coffee along with relative newcomers such as Cottontown Brew Lab and recently relocated businesses including a printing company and an architecture firm.

The 2501 Main St. location will offer snacks such as crackers, pretzels and olives, Aylard said. Patrons can have food delivered, and Aylard said there are plans to coordinate food truck service.

Aylard said “a number of upgrades” to lighting, signage and bathrooms are planned in the coming weeks. He also said the shop will be a no-tip establishment.

“We’ll be paying a living wage to those who work here,” Aylard said. “If anyone would like to learn about wine and work in a pretty cool environment with an arguable amazing employer, let me know, as I will be hiring three people.”

Aylard did not immediately respond to an email seeking the shop’s opening date.