A new wine and beer shop called “The Barrel and Bottle” will be opening in November in the North Market to replace the recently closed Grapes of Mirth. Jen Burton and Collin Castore will be the owners and operators of the new venture.
“We want to focus on streamlining our inventory to a clean, good selection of traditional vs. newish wines that naturally follow trends,” said Burton. “We also want to have a great beer selection with lots of great American craft brews and Ohio and Columbus brews that we love.”
“We’ll be starting with around 250 wines 150 beers”, added Castore. “We’ll expand our wine selection a bit once we get a feel for what customers are looking for. The beer selection will rotate pretty regularly to feature new and seasonal products.”
The new space will be completely redesigned over the next two months to feature a new oak barrel-themed overhaul.
“We’re building some light fixtures out of reclaimed boubon barrels and carrying that theme throughout,” said Castore. “The space will be very open and easy to navigate and find what you’re looking for.”
“Our pride and joy is going to be the ‘Green Jug’ program”, added Burton. “We are planning on implementing a reusable growler system and getting kegs of beer that aren’t going to be available in cans or bottles.”
A few related retail products will be available in the store as well, including corkscrews, bottle openers and books.
“We’re shooting for mid-November to be open, but everything right now depends upon approvals and permits,” said Castore. “Either way, we’re really excited about the new store and can’t wait to be a part of the North Market.”