Wine bar opens at Batavia jeweler
A new wine bar is opening along the Randall Road corridor this month in a unique location.
K. Hollis Jewelers has been selling jewelry since 2005. The Batavia business specializes in everything from designer jewelry lines to one-of-a-kind jewelry creations.
Now, owners Rob and Karen Hollis have added a new specialization to their business - wine.
They are holding a grand opening for The Wine Bar @ K. Hollis Jewelers, 147 S. Randall Road, on Friday, Oct. 9.
To mark the grand opening there will be a celebration from 5 to 8 p.m., featuring half-priced wine, appetizers from Gaetano's, music and raffles.
Owners Rob and Karen Hollis came up with the idea of a wine bar inside of a jewelry store after hosting many special events at the business.
They said they felt a wine bar would fit perfectly with their vision for the kind of shopping experience they wanted to offer their customers.
"Creating a warm and welcoming place where our customers feel at home has been a core principle for us from the beginning," said owner Rob Hollis. "With over 4,000 square feet of space, we became a comfortable and unique place for networking groups, clubs, and nonprofit organizations to gather.
"Many of the groups that want to host events at the store want to serve wine, but we found we had an issue. We weren't licensed to serve liquor and there was not an existing liquor license classification that fit our circumstances," he said.
"We approached the city of Batavia and asked them to consider creating a new liquor license classification that would allow us to serve wine at a retail location. The city was open to the idea and extremely accommodating. We are now able to serve wine to our customers throughout the day while shopping or during special events."
For the new aspect of their business, the Hollis' designed the wine bar with the help of Cruver Creations and Windmill Countertops, and commissioned local artist Jim Jenkins to create a one-of-a-kind light for above the bar.
"Everything exceeded our expectations and we now have a fabulous gathering place inside the store," Karen Hollis said. "We've hand-picked a great selection of wines.
"We hope the wine bar becomes a community gathering place where people relax, socialize, shop, and connect," she said.
The owners hope to host many special events at the wine bar in the future, including Sip and Shop Wednesdays with half-priced wine from 5 to 7 p.m. weekly, the Friday Social Club from 5 to 7 p.m. weekly, and private events on Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays.
In addition to serving wine during special events after store hours, the wine bar is open whenever the jewelry store is open. If you're shopping for jewelry, you can grab a glass of wine, and sip while you shop.
For information call K. Hollis Jewelers at (630) 879-8003.
• Amy Williams' column covers all the news of business along the Randall Road corridor from Batavia to Crystal Lake. Contact her at randallbiz@comcast.net or (847) 894-5036.