EDGEWATER — The husband of "Divergent" author Veronica Roth wants to open a wine bar in Edgewater, and he not only has the support of his famous wife, he has the local alderman on his side.
Ald. Harry Osterman (48th) announced his support to lift a liquor moratorium from Elmdale to Ardmore avenues along North Broadway to make way for the wine bar proposed by Nelson Fitch, who now lives in Ravenswood with Roth but used to live in Edgewater.
Osterman's chief of staff Dan Luna said after the community "overwhelmingly voted in support" of the bar during a July meeting, Osterman introduced an ordinance to lift the moratorium before the City Council.
Luna said Osterman's office received numerous letters of support for the bar from community organizations.
In an email to residents, Osterman said he felt Fitch presented a "strong business plan."
"I believe they will make good additions to the community," he said.
Linze Rice explains why they want to call the bar Income Tax:
On Sept. 10, the council will decide to either approve or deny the changes needed for Fitch to proceed.
Once lifted, the moratorium would cease for a year and then resume, under city law.
That's not a worry for Fitch, 26, who said so far the approval process was "going great," toward a business that became a dream only after he realized his passion for wine and spirits by taking a part-time job at neighboring Independent Spirits Inc.
Fitch, a photographer, said he got his start in the liquor business when he needed to find a new job. Twice a week he'd work shifts at the locally owned fine wine and spirits shop around the corner from where he lived.
It was there he said he gained an appreciation for the types of high-quality, affordable and often forgotten drinks that usually aren't found in a neighborhood liquor store.
"I really had no idea how much it would take off for me personally," Fitch said. "I just thought it was an amazing store, and I just wanted to help out when I could. ... I just sort of became obsessed really fast."
Fitch said eventually he wanted to be able to work another side of the business aside from retail, while giving the neighborhood a "world-class place" to enjoy high-quality snacks and drinks after feeling like there was a lack of upscale bars in the area — similar to joints in the West Loop.
Now, he, with the support of Roth, famed author of the best-selling "Divergent" book series, is working to open a shop where he can hone his craft in the fine art of wine and cocktails, while bringing some much-needed life to the intersection across from the former Broadway Bank building.
The ingredients for an Income Tax cocktail, the bar's namesake. [Nelson Fitch]
He said as he waits for the city's approval, he's focusing on building the business "from scratch," playing with design, menu items and more.
Though it all, he said Roth's backing has been essential.
"My wife is definitely a kind of business partner for me, we tend to do a lot of things together," Fitch said. "She's been really helpful and supportive and is full of great ideas, too."
Fitch said the concept for Income Tax — a name that not only serves as the name of a vintage early 1900s cocktail, but also harkens back to the Prohibition faux storefront era — will apply to everyone from the casual wine drinker to the comparative connoisseur.
He said wine and spirits will be the cornerstone of the bar, but they'll also offer an array of classic cocktails "not well-known," along with other "fun" spirits that aren't used as frequently in mixed drinks.
Wine by the glass and a "pretty epic brandy list" will also be available at the hangout, fitted with an "old world, French-Italian" feel.
The bar will serve food as well, Fitch said.
Fitch said that although the couple have moved on to Ravenswood, they still frequent the Edgewater area and he knew with other family owned spirit-centric business popping up in the ward, now was the right time to plant roots.
"The proximity to Independent Spirits was a big draw," Fitch said. "Edgewater's a great neighborhood, it's such a nice place to live, but there's all these vacancies along Broadway and the neighborhood's going to go in a direction of some kind, and I really think it has the potential to be a great destination for awesome bars and restaurants."
Fitch also said with a name like Income Tax, it will be easy to continue expanding the business because of the recognizable brand name.
Eventually, he wants to be known as a destination among classy, yet relaxed, neighborhood wine bars.
Luna said if all goes as planned, the bar could be opening in spring 2016.
"We've had great support from the community, so far pretty much every meeting has been asking 'So when do you open?' so it's a good time to take it into Edgewater I think," Fitch said.
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