LINCOLN SQUARE — After more than 20 years in Lincoln Square, Fine Wine Brokers is closing at the end of the month.
"It saddens me to tell you that we have lost our lease," owner Louise Rohr posted to Facebook.
Fine Wine Brokers, a fixture in Lincoln Square for 20 years, is closing at the end of the month. [DNAinfo/Patty Wetli]
Scott Crestodina, owner of Independent Spirits in Edgewater and former manager of Fine Wine Brokers, told Crain's that he had considered taking over the Lincoln Square wine shop but the rent was "astronomical."
Rohr was unavailable for additional comment when DNAinfo visited the store.
Rohr's husband Gerhard and his business partner Phil Bernstein opened Fine Wine Brokers, 4621 N. Lincoln Ave., in 1994. Gerhard died in 2008 and speaking at the time with the Chicago Tribune, Bernstein reminisced about the shop's early days.
"We actually built the shelves and racks, and our wives stained them. We didn't buy anything," Bernstein told the Tribune.
"We were one of the very few fine wine shops in Chicago and pioneers that set the pace for others," Louise Rohr noted in her Facebook post.
Fine Wine will be selling off its inventory in the coming weeks, taking markdowns on everything including furniture and fixtures. Members of the shop's wine club will receive their final bottles by mid-August.
[DNAinfo/Patty Wetli]
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