EDGEWATER — Independent Spirits Inc. will open Friday on North Broadway after months of preparation, said sommelier and owner Scott Crestodina.
"It's gonna be great," he said, even though he had a few things to wrap up, like receive and stock his first order of liquor and wine.
"It's a little stressful," he added.
Nonetheless, the 38-year-old newlywed and former wine broker says he'll be ready for business Friday at 5947-49 N. Broadway. He's spent the past five or six months building out the space, which had been divided by a wall.
Now the spacious, elegant storefront is lined with racks that Crestodina fashioned in his workshop from old wine crates. The walls are covered with colorful maps of wine-making regions — all hand-painted by Crestodina.
He said he'll eventually have a cooler for chilled drinks.
Wine prices will start at about $10 a bottle. All inventory would be curated from independent wineries and distilleries.
There would also be a small selection of rare beer that "you can't find elsewhere," he said.
Ald. Harry Osterman (48th) held a community meeting last summer at which community members expressed unanimous support to lift a liquor moratorium for one year and allow for a zoning change so the packaged goods store could open.
The zoning change would only affect the building, owned by David Rees, who agreed to immediately apply to have his building rezoned back to its original status after the city and state grants Crestodina the necessary permits.
Osterman said no other packaged goods stores could open when the moratorium was lifted on North Broadway from Elmdale to Ardmore avenues because of zoning restrictions in the area.
