Popular downtown Wauconda wine shop to close in May

A prominent retail store in downtown Wauconda will close next month, its owner has announced.

Maria Weisbruch said she's putting a cork in Bliss Wine & Gifts, 201 S. Main St., after six years so she can spend more time with her family.

"I literally work all the time and it really is so wonderfully fun, but (it is) a lot of work and it also takes time away from my husband and family," said Weisbruch, who co-owns the business with her husband, Scott. "They are the most excited for this transition."

Bliss will serve its last customer May 30. The store opened in May 2009.

The Weisbruchs announced their plans on Facebook.

They thanked the store's customers for their support.

"You have enlightened our lives, and made it a sheer pleasure to put a key in the Bliss front door each and every day," the post read. "The loss of the daily interaction will leave a hole in our hearts that will be hard to make up."

Fans of the shop shared their feelings on Facebook, too.

"We will really miss your store," Wauconda resident Dirk Leahy wrote. "It was an awesome place in Wauconda. What a sad loss for our town."

Fellow resident Jamie Colias-Jones thanked the Weisbruchs for putting Wauconda "back on the map."

"Thank you for making such a huge difference in our little town," Colias-Jones wrote.

Maria Weisbruch, who lives with her family in unincorporated Lake County near Wauconda, has a public profile that's larger than her store.

She's gained prominence in recent years as an outspoken critic of Mayor Frank Bart and, to a lesser extent, the village trustees. She's been out front on issues including the proposal to bring Lake Michigan drinking water to town and the uncertain future of the police department's 911 center.

But her political activities weren't a factor in the decision to close the shop.

"I'm really looking forward to getting my house in order, enjoying (having) more than just tomatoes in my garden and having more time enjoying family and friends," Weisbruch said. "I have such admiration for all of my small-business neighbors, they all work just as hard."

The store sponsored local events and supported a variety of charities.

It also hosted live musical performances. On the store's final day, blues-rock musician Kevin Purcell will perform at Bliss.

"It will be business as usual and then some until the bittersweet end," the Weisbruchs wrote on Facebook.