St. Charles painting event business wants BYOB liquor license

Dozens of area bars and restaurants have been the site of artist-led painting events organized by brothers Chris and Cliff Harman.

Starting early next year, their business will have a home base in downtown St. Charles.

SIP Parties began in 2016 as a mobile company combining Chris's hospitality experience with Cliff's artistic talents, Chris Harman said. For the past year and a half, he said, their team has been traveling to private parties, building their clientele and forming partnerships with establishments in Chicago and the suburbs.

The Harman brothers now are opening an art studio and office in St. Charles' Fox Island Square, 1 W. Illinois St., where they can host painting events of their own. They also are seeking a liquor license that would allow customers to bring in their own alcohol and drink it while they paint.

"It's a great opportunity for us because we can have one common office now," Chris Harman said. "We love (St. Charles). It's a nice community."

The concept is similar to that of The Painted Vine Cellar, which previously occupied the same suite in Fox Island Square, police Chief James Keegan said. The business still offers traveling art classes, according to its website.

St. Charles' liquor control commission and government operations committee last week approved granting a BYOB liquor license to SIP Parties. If approved by the city council, the measure will permit beer, wine and spirits to be carried into the business and consumed on-site.

Only a handful of other establishments in the city have a BYOB license, Keegan said, including a few restaurants and a tobacco lounge.

SIP Parties customers can paint on a canvas, wine bottles, glasses and other materials, Harman said, and they also can work on pre-stenciled pallets to make it easier for them to follow along. Having a physical location will allow the business to be more experimental with artistic methods, he said.

"I think what makes us stand out is we're a little more unique in some of our artwork," Harman said. "We do more pop-culture stuff. We try to challenge people a little bit more."

SIP Parties will continue offering its traveling classes after the St. Charles location opens, he said. He expects to begin booking events at the new studio next month.