The Wine Press

ahh 2009

2009-12-22T14:33:00.003-06:00

As we turned to face the winds of change and 2009 — we got schooled. Happy New Year, how do you do; TARP, H1N1 and under-employment.

2010 should be the year we look for a change of attitude. Take comfort in the fact that coal is abundant; as are candidates for gift giving.

In the win column we can appreciate tea parties, transparancy, Iranian students on facebook, hwy 40/64, Susan Boyle, Cash for Clunkers, Laurie's alioli.

Morning Musings on Wine and Spirituality

2009-02-16T15:59:00.006-06:00

Hi,

We had a great Friday night celebrating Charlie's birthday.
Saturday was a relaxing, romantic Valentines' with Darlene and Steve on the piano and guitar. Her skill on the piano was only surpassed by her extraordinary voice and Steve's guitar playing was skillful and passionate. We look forward to them being with us in the future.

Rhett is gone, way too soon. He found greener pastures very quickly. His passion for wine enthused us and his suggestions for expanding our menu are being taken seriously. We're presently looking to hire a bartender with great wine knowledge and experience.

Mardi Gras is coming up. A week from today! Celebrate before we cleanse our bodies and souls.
Priests get to drink wine during lent, so let's all be priests unto ourselves this lent and celebrate the priesthood of the people, a common theme in early Christianity, let our Lenten resolution be to form community better than we did the past, and perhaps wine and music can be a vehicle unto this end.

What a blatant pitch for business! Don't give up The Wine Press for Lent!

We do form a community of sorts here at The Wine Press — the beginnings of community, if you will. A chance to be listened to, a chance to hear others' stories, perhaps the beginnings of intimacy. Lent is about becoming more spiritual; I hold the position that one gets more spiritual as one gets closer to oneself and the self of others. Perhaps The Wine Press can facilitate our spiritual growth, what a notion.

Rhett Haynes is our new kid on the block between CWE & Gaslight

2009-02-10T15:25:00.003-06:00

Welcome, Rhett Haynes.

Rhett comes to us with great enthusiasm and experience with people, wine and food.
Come by, say hello, and get acquainted.

John has moved to Truffles. He created our first wine and beer list, both of which are excellent.
His talented palate will be missed.

Music on Valentine's Day! Piano and Guitar by Darlene and Steve (7 to 10pm).

Taste of Choice

2009-01-27T08:43:00.008-06:00

The Wine Press and FAITH ALOUD invite you to attend a
Taste of Choice — a wine tasting Valentines party for reproductive justice.
Monday, February 2, 2009 • 6-9 p.m.

Giving voice to choice, Faith Aloud incorporated in 1982 as a assembly of individuals with diverse religious beliefs, denominations, and practices. They promote reproductive justice through the moral power of religious and ethical communities.

As people of faith:
• they have been educating legislators to trust women to make important personal decisions.
• they train clergy to provide compassionate counseling and to be source of spiritual strength for women in crisis — during families' most difficult times.
• they are a resource for materials and programming to help congregations, of many faiths, discuss complex ethical issues surrounding sexuality and reproduction.
• they shape the public dialogue about sex, contraception, childbirth, and abortion at press conferences, media appearances, and special events.
• they are bringing spiritual young people to the movement through campus groups and internships students and give young professionals a place to develop leadership skills and take action.
• they help define the separation of religion and state knowing that religions disagree on matters regarding sex, reproduction, and termination and remind us that the government cannot legislate one religious view over another.

Space is limited for this private party. Reserve your wine glass now.
A $25 ($10 for students) donation benefiting FAITH ALOUD includes: hors d’oeuvres — a tasting course of premium wines — holiday gift basket auction — dessert — music and fun.

RSVP to FAITH ALOUD
By phone: (314) 531-5010
By email: outreach@FaithAloud.org

Unabashed Hope & Cautious Optimism

2009-01-11T21:26:00.031-06:00

The world gives a collective sigh (and maybe rolls its eyes) as we greet our 44th president and his administration. Obama with 66,862,039 or 53 percent of the popular vote verses McCain with 58,319,442 or 47 percent of the popular vote gave us a decided outcome, but not a landslide.

This Inauguration Day is a momentous day to celebrate; an epoch of sorts. No one knows for sure where we are going and we may not even agree; so, it might do us good to consider these words from Ted Kennedy given during the eulogy for Robert F. Kennedy:

"... we can perhaps remember - even if only for a time - that those who live with us are our brothers; that they share with us the same short moment of life; that they seek - as we do - nothing but the chance to live out their lives in purpose and happiness, winning what satisfaction and fulfillment they can.

Surely this bond of common faith, this bond of common goal, can begin to teach us something. Surely, we can learn, at least, to look at those around us as fellow men. And surely we can begin to work a little harder to bind up the wounds among us and to become in our own hearts brothers and countrymen once again."

On Tuesday, January 20, 2009 we invite you to put on your formal wear and share with us a renewed hope of being a nation of brothers, sisters and countrymen held in high regard throughout the world. Let’s raise a glass, the roof and the bar.

2008 Draws to an End

2008-12-27T00:24:00.019-06:00

Where did 2008 take you? It feels good to look back over the course of events in 2008, celebrate the milestones (reconnected phone and internet service) and recognize the contributions of friends.

Now, if you are looking for a little resolve turning over a new leaf, or just for fun — join us New Year's Eve. You will find Joe at the piano, warm regard and at midnight, a champagne toast to bring in the New Year.

Here's an optimistic "boo-yah," to holding on to fewer-trans-fats and managing a greener more neighborly mindset in a world where it is easier to behave decently (a bonus "hootie-hoo" for time spent in-the-moment). See you there.

Toasty

2008-12-06T22:09:00.062-06:00

Over the Thanksgiving weekend The Wine Press offered comfort and marshmallows by the fire. It wasn't hard to fall victim to excess — it was the party potatoes and other starchy splendors.

The Taste of the Holidays for Our Little Haven served as the commencement of Christmas for us this year. On cue, the winter weather arrived and the luminaries were positively glowy in the mizzle.

Ever gracious somollier, Marco took care and perhaps some satisfaction ensuring everyone enjoyed the vintages A. Bommarito Wines selected for presentation.

At the piano, Joe helped melt the crowd. I didn't see anyone resist jumping into a spontaneous round of happy birthday for Scott. The accompaniment of wine and food with the warm regard of the crowd were persuasive.

Hosting our many good neighbors, friends and new acquaintances was a fitting way to jump-start the holiday season.

It was a great party; "toasty." A generous thank you to all who attended. A very special thanks to all of those who donated their talent, time and energy to get the party started.

Debbie Hanak, Pulaski Bank; Laura Locke, CWE Assn., Robin Baima, Pulaski Bank were part of a gregarious crowd. I it was fun to don some finery and sparkle with the twinkle lights. Next year mark your calendar early!

Greg and the Srs. from The Daughters of Charity; Roseann, Mary and Rose are champions for the families and children at Our Little Haven. A powerhouse combination to foster goodwill.

The wine press invites you back for more holiday fun. We have fresh coffee, hot soup and a cozy spot to go over your list.

photo credit: Sr. Rose, Ann Julian

Tryptophantastic Weekend

2008-11-24T22:18:00.016-06:00

In truth we are sentimental about celebrating Thanksgiving. Especially this Thanksgiving.

It has been our good fortune to have the remarkable influence of you special people. We stand or fall as a measure of the people we associate with. We are beholden to you for your patronage. With grace, thanks.

Your smile, streak of encouragement, latitude — are like Flintstone vitamins. We seldom see the respite of an idle day. We bend like a pipe-cleaners. Personally, I didn’t know nuthin ‘bout birthin’ no restaurant from the din, dross and whir of a union printshop during a presidential election. We're humbly thankful for the results, and that you can teach old dogs new tricks.

This has been a hard year, but a good, good year. Hard won.

So on this Thanksgiving, take heart, smile, get comfortable and in the words of Dorothy Day, "look for a world where it is easier to behave decently."

Brace for the cold and come by the Wine Press Wednesday, Friday or Saturday night for fire-roasted marshmallows. The guys are stoking the coals, serving a sweet selection of spirits and have an affinity for good company.

A Taste of the Holidays

2008-11-16T15:11:00.022-06:00

A wine tasting holiday party to benefit Our Little Haven at The Wine Press on Wednesday December 3, between 6-8 pm

Please come and join us as we celebrate the beginning of this special holiday season! Your $10 donation (at the door) includes hors d'oeuvres, a tasting course of premium wines selected and poured by A. Bommarito wines sommelier, silent auction, luminaria display, music, fun & fellowship.

In addition to your $10 donation (at the door), The Wine Press will donate a portion of sales that evening to the Haven. Please RSVP to Mary Eisler, by phone at (314) 533-2229, x 232 or email meisler@ourlittlehaven.org.

Wine Not War

2008-11-06T12:33:00.008-06:00

Join the Peace Economy Project (PEP) Saturday, November 8th for a WINE NOT WAR event. The Wine Press will donate 20% of the proceeds from this event to PEP.

PEP's efforts address the nation's spending priorities and focuses attention on meeting the needs and values of its citizens. While $720 million dollars are wasted on the war in Iraq everyday, the needs of millions of Americans go unaddressed. PEP calls on you to help bring an end to this war and reduce military spending in favor of social and infrastructure needs.

Look for the message on page four of the October 30 - November 5, 2008 Riverfront Times or if you would like more information call 314.726.6406 or visit www.peaceeconomyproject.org

2008-11-02T14:06:00.003-06:00

Come by for Election Night's
"Red, White or Brew Electoral Throwdown"
on Tuesday, Nov 4.

Pick the Electoral College Dream Team and win change.* Everyone receives a map of the U.S. and is entitled to their opinion. What will the states do? Is Missouri brew or red?

*along with a super fantastic prize.

It's Here Somewhere

2008-10-21T21:49:00.052-05:00

Competitors, scholars, collectors, the warm-hearted, the responsible, the curious, the lonely, the spiritual — oh, it’s human nature. I mean, everybody is looking for some sort of satisfaction. Discovery, compensation, love. Chocolate?

We rout car seats for quarters to feed the meter, we search our souls to lend patience to the irksome (Ohm) and in a few days, kids will flirt with nirvana as they trick or treat. Right now, folks who don’t even know what they are looking for, have the spotlight. "Undecideds" are looking to heaven for an epiphany, while campaigns are looking for any kind of friction to motivate the them.

The balance of our resources we spend feeding our id.

Besides looking, what’s the common denominator? What does all our ruminating amount to? Satisfaction — though we always want a more. Outrageous bargains, a beer superior to the Skull Splitter, the smallest number of results for a word in a Google search are fun expeditions; what trips your trigger?

Come celebrate with us the quest for satisfaction.
The Wine Press invites you to a scavenger hunt this Halloween night. Bring a team, or join one here. You will need a fully-charged battery for digital photography and a sense of adventure.
Friday, October 31, gathering at 7:30.
Play is free — prizes will be awarded.

Joe the Piano Tuner

2008-10-12T13:39:00.022-05:00

Joe the piano tuner—industrious son of mirthful Bob and green-thumb Mary made a splendid discovery last week. It arrived today.

Itsa baby grand. Mark made it look easy.

I started “googling” jazz, Gaslight Square, and the like. The piano is so evocative of this neighborhood’s footprint and may help remedy the Official Gaslight Square website lament, “Then Gaslight Square died... allowed by lack of political will, police protection, and public apathy to fade, to dim, and to die….Not a trace of Gaslight Square remains today, aside from this website.”

Doesn’t music live forever? The history of Gaslight is sketchy and referred to as sketchy. Here, and gone again was a counter-culture; a generation wrestling with an awareness of changing social values and perceptions.

Gaslight Square most certainly hosted a provocative culture that included Woody Allen and Gypsy Rose Lee. This was nurtured by Jay Landesman, a man instrumental in the area’s success and owner of The Crystal Palace.

Wikipedia and UMSL provide some photos and dialogue from oral histories.

ChaChaCha-Changes

2008-10-05T10:34:00.009-05:00

Change is a comin’ and generally change is good — it ain’t easy, but it is good.

Well, The Wine Press is offering change, too. Maybe not the “Change We Need,” but something you would like. Certainly, something you can choose on your own after having been administered that bailout package medicine (yeah, I am taking it, too).

Salads, grilled tenderloin, new wine selections and an expanded beer list. Sweeeeet, much easier to enjoy and digest. I should also note this was a grass-roots change.

If you are like me, you are looking around wondering what’s next (hell, what happened), and who is in charge? I am pretty sure — I have no idea what these events will mean for us (was there a warning label: may cause dizziness, stay out direct sunlight?).

It’s an enigma, but here is something familiar you can listen to, David Bowie’s classic song, Changes.

We can get you something straightforward to imbibe and if you can't come by right away, blog-on and tell us what you think.

Debate Night Confusion

2008-09-27T10:37:00.010-05:00

Let me clarify that the dates for the upcoming Presidential/VP debates are: OCTOBER 2, 7 & 15

Joe sent an e-mail saying, "I believe the debates are October," in response to an e-mail I've sent. I am a hack for printing the wrong dates, but I found this post about last night's debate by Mark Helprin for Time Magazine to be well put.

Grading the First Presidential Debate

What did you think?

Julie

"The Perfect Place to Pop-in"

2008-09-26T11:45:00.008-05:00

I am sending out a big hello and thanks to Catherine “Cat” Neville over at Sauce Magazine for stopping in to visit. Here is the link to her podcast about The Wine Press from 09/24/08 with McGraw Milhaven that airs weekly on Wednesdays, at 11 on KTRS 550.

The Wine Press is located in Gaslight Square, an area seeing a renaissance. This new establishment is serving the Central West End, an attractive, well-maintained neighborhood and it offers a convenient place to meet up at (or head out to) all points west.

In Catherine’s review she shares that “It’s a great place for before or after the theater because it’s real close to Grand Center, so If you’re going to the Fox or to the show, pop in for a glass of wine and some nibbly-bits.” She also mentions that the “quality of what they are serving is really nice,” and it is a “very relaxing quiet, cool place to have a nosh.”

The Wine Press does offer theater-goers a special when they present that day’s theater ticket stub. The promotion is good for a bottle of our red or white wine of the week with an appetizer, or dessert for $25. It is limited to one offer per couple before or after the show. Ask about details.

It is a little more upscale than an average bar and offers guests a relaxed atmosphere. The Wine Press has outdoor seating, generous parking and a smoke free environment.

The perfect place to pop in.

De Gustibus Non Disputandum Est

2008-09-23T08:06:00.001-05:00

De Gustibus Non Disputandum Est. Or, in English: In matters of taste, one should not argue.

The culture of being a more educated wine drinker has reached mass appeal. Check out the grocer — placement accommodations are bigger and better for wine than what you find for Frito-Lay.

Passing is the paranoia that the wine police are lurking in the wine list. De Gustibus Non Disputandum Est makes for a good credo. It invites everyone to the table; snobs, slobs, sloven and sophisticate. There is a lot to discover about the world of wine and each other. Expanding our grip of wine offers a common interest, and a lubricant to exercise conversation. Kind of like watching the Olympics.

Let’s visit this thread on wine.

On Wine: No one is safe from wine fashion police

Wednesday, August 22, 2001

By RICHARD KINSSIES
SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER

We tend to think that the criterion for great wine is absolute -- that winemakers in the best wine regions of the world have figured out long ago what constitutes a great wine and set about producing them, occasionally foiled only by poor weather or an invading pestilence. We believe that winemaking in Burgundy or Bordeaux or Tuscany has changed little over the years and that newer regions such as California, Oregon and Washington are simply trying to figure it out and once they do we can expect few changes in style.

But this is simply not true.

Fact is, nobody has it figured out. Styles are changing everywhere to conform to what is perceived to be the latest fashion in wine. That’s why there was a stampede to plant chardonnay when that grape became popular, then came merlot and now syrah.

Read more: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/food/35989_wine22.shtml

The same is true, in polite circles of conversation about politics, sex and religion. We love it when we encourage someone to unearth a new found insight and to discover a previously unknown possibility

Uncommon Character

2008-09-19T20:15:00.008-05:00

Pooling talents, The Wine Press brings together a cosmopolitan/metropolitan mix of guys. Industrious, insightful and illustrious individuals, each in their own regard.

Greg – conversant and self-described chief cook and bottle washer, owner and proprietor.
FAVORITES
Place – Pebble Beach
Wine – Steele Zinfandel
TV – Bill Maher – Real Time
Movie – Hondo
Rant – George Carlin’s Seven Words Banned by the FCC
Expression – De Gustibus Non Disputandum Est & Piece of Cake

John – newly relocated, optimistic-minded general manager with a penchant for wine and a practical joke.*
FAVORITES
Place – Glasgow, Scotland
Wine – Chateauneuf Du Pape
TV – South Park
Movie – The Godfather & Battle Royale
Rant – Anything by Billy Connolly
Expression – Gay Ba’ole o wah’yne

Adam – Ralph Lauren, Hugo Boss constitution, an eye for detail and a gracious hospitality.
FAVORITES
Place – Anywhere with friends and family
Wine – Poker Face by Sine Que Non
TV – Entourage
Movie – Man on Fire
Rant – Kat Williams Pimp Chronicles
Expression – Do unto others, as you would have them, do unto you

Parez – energetic, gregarious and lives to celebrate special events and occasions, like birthdays.
FAVORITES
Place – The lake or park in 70 to 90 degree weather
Wine – French Merlot
TV – Cartoons, Football & Basketball
Movie – Forty-Year-Old Virgin
Rant – Kings of Comedy
Expression – Be thankful for the past and the present, and the future will be prosperous.

*when you least expect it.

Expanding Our Selection

2008-09-16T14:07:00.004-05:00

This week The Wine Press rolls-out a bar with bigger better choices. Woo-hoo. The beer list alone hosts one of my favorite libations – an award winning ale from Scotland’s Orkney Brewery, Skull Splitter. SkullSplitter is robust with a distinctly smooth almost creamy taste (8.5% ABV). It is named for Thorfinn Hausakluif (SkullSplitter), the Seventh Viking Earl of Orkney. The Orkney Islands lie off the northern tip of Scotland at latitude 60 North. For 600 years they were ruled by the Viking Earls who owed allegiance to Norse Kings. *

John may sound a bit like the Earl of Orkney. Ask him about that.

* http://www.legendslimited.com/skull.html

Here We Are

2008-09-15T19:27:00.003-05:00

Early in August The Wine press celebrated opening its doors to family, friends, our neighborhood and the curious. The efforts and enthusiasm of many have led to this opportunity. Thank you, and here we are!

Opening has been a collaboration of patience*, blood, sweat and tears recruited by persistent and frustrated resolve – no doubt building character. So, even as the new kid on the block The Wine Press (an amalgamation) has roots, right here, in the people who have contributed their time, energy and influence. Again, thank you.

Check it out – we’re open!

* this includes hair-loss, mumbling and stress-induced binge eating.

Well Wishes

2008-06-15T21:28:00.003-05:00

I, (Frank) will no longer be working on The Wine Press. The Wine Press is now entirely in the hands of Mr. Greg Stevens. I wish him the best of luck with the remainder of the project.

-Frank-

Sexy Printing Photos

2008-05-29T09:00:00.004-05:00

John Marshall, a local professional photographer and friend came in on Monday to take photos of the printing equipment for the walls of the wine bar. I don't know how, but after rambling off a few indecipherable sentences of what I was looking for he "got it". He casually called me last night to tell me he had played with one of the photos and that it was up on his Flickr page.

Hot Damn!

If you hadn't guessed, that's a 1964 Davidson envelope press photographed from the side. It's still working and is regularly coaxed into printing return addresses on several thousand envelopes a day.

A Good Day

2008-05-28T21:48:00.002-05:00

Had a great meeting with the health inspector. She gave me some pointers, laid out the ol' parameters and approved in principle the work that I plan to do to finish the kitchen and bar. The day started at 6:00 AM and just ended with a planning meeting 15 minutes ago (9:30 PM). It's hard to say just how much closer I am to opening, but at least I got a good grip done.

The Inspector Cometh

2008-05-27T09:44:00.003-05:00

All of my fancy-pants New York City experience is worth diddly this side of the Mississippi. People I talk to who have opened places in St. Louis have given me a hodgepodge of advice, warnings and bromides which might or might not be Germaine to my situation.

As result, I've been talking to the one person whose opinion DOES matter, my local health inspector.

Question about lighting? Call the inspector.
Are the drawings code? Call the inspector.
What kind of walls can I have in a kitchen? Call the inspector.

The inspector will be coming by tomorrow for a walk through. I'm pretty zen about it at this point, I'm expecting a mix of good news and bad, and hoping that it won't put me behind schedule.

No Turning Back

2008-05-21T21:22:00.005-05:00

The bar is in, long live the bar.

This, of all times was when it hit Greg "Frank, it's really going to happen."

Yes Greg, it's happening, and the bar looks freaking beautiful.

Crammed Together Progress

2008-05-20T20:51:00.006-05:00

HVAC
Painting
Base Board Trim
Bar Delivery
Doors Installed
Bathrooms Painted
Facade Brick Grinded
Big Honkin' Mirror Rehabbed

I know I'm forgetting something

Next Week

2008-05-16T15:56:00.004-05:00

The floors are done (drying now) the paint is halfway stripped off the front and the bar is ready to be installed on Tuesday and Wednesday. The toilets and sinks will be installed late next week and by next Friday I'll have a floor to stand on, a pot to piss in and a place to rest my glass.
Here's the Floor:

The Facade:

Nate's truck, protected from paint stripper:

A Hodge Podge Mosaic Of Historic Brick

2008-05-14T17:59:00.005-05:00

After a spate of bad weather delays, the brick guys are back and have revealed the brick below the yellow, latex paint. Some bricks are dark, some light, some have tar (liquid character) on them etc. I like the heck out of it!

Fixin' The Cracks, Stainin' The Floor

2008-05-13T07:54:00.006-05:00

Not long after the new concrete was poured, it started cracking in ways that were...dismaying. Not wanting to dwell on the past or point fingers, lets just say that it's being fixed as we speak and we're getting the floors treated and stained for free.

Also fixed yesterday is the enormous hole in the sidewalk that Laclede made in order to put in our new gas service. Since this building and the three others around it used to be owned to the same company, the gas meter for 4436 Olive is actually located in the basement of the building next door. Normally, this would cost us tons of money, but since it means that Laclede will be able to sell us more gas (they love to sell gas) they're doing it for free.

Embrace The 4400 Block

2008-05-11T10:20:00.005-05:00

I got to get a gander of the progress across the street at 4449 Olive, aka The Old Shriner's Hall which is being turned into eight condos. The work is being done by Metamorphi Developement (Mark Keoshkerian), who ably renovated the two buildings that are now the Courtyard Lofts, located directly to the West of The Wine Press.

The building is actually three different buildings smooshed together over the years. The original, middle part of the building was built around 1898, the front was done in the 40's and the back in the 60's.

Here's one of the kitchen areas:

A bedroom:

A view of the Wine Press from the second floor

The Paint Comes Off

2008-05-07T07:45:00.003-05:00

After a couple of false starts with the power winch (the guys were stuck up on it with a power short, I had to flip the switch on the roof) the paint removal began in earnest. The top brick is a bit darker than the other stuff that I had uncovered on the side of the building, but it all looks like it's in pretty good shape. It's 104 years old, so it looks like the paint trapped a whole bunch of soot in.

Just Another Day In The Life

2008-05-06T14:06:00.006-05:00

The brick guys are removing the paint from the front of the building and have covered up the facade in plastic so it doesn't get damaged. They left the doorway to the upstairs apartment unsealed yesterday, but today they had to close it off. They assumed everyone had left for the day, but there was a straggler.

No worries, we just put a ladder up on the side of the building. She tossed me her stuff and I spotted as best I could as Nate's wife climbed down from the roof. Good times.

The Other Fun Part, Obscene Shopping Sprees

2008-05-06T10:26:00.002-05:00

There's just a massive amount of stuff one needs to purchase to open one of these jobbies. As much as I hate to get too wrapped up in material things, there's something very satisfying about pulling the trigger and buying a lot of gear. Were it not for the bank and the title company, I might go a little haywire.

A Whole New Wall

2008-05-01T09:39:00.004-05:00

Fernando, taping, mudding and plaster repair specialist extraordinaire told me what was on the docket for the day.

"We're going to repair the plaster wall over there, we'll fill in the holes...it'll be a whole new wall by the end of the day."

I nodded (I've had my heart broken before). The wall is a mess. Decades of wear and tear, oil from the cutter and what looks like small-arms fire has made the wall a bit of a sore spot in the otherwise immaculately drywalled interior.

I had meetings, I came back and it was indeed a whole...new...wall.

The Wall Picked The Wrong Day To $#@#$ With Nate

2008-04-30T08:14:00.004-05:00

Nathan finally punched the doorway through the cinderblock wall that will serve as an emergency exit out of the Wine Press. Before Greg got the building, all five buildings were owned by a silk screen equipment making company which had punched holes in the walls of each of the buildings to let forklifts through.

Also on the docket this week is the removal of the paint from the facade brick, taping, mudding and plaster touchup and more electrical work. On the wish list is a water heater in the bathroom so we don't have to keep washing our hands with cold water and for Laclede to put in some new meters.

More Drywall Fun

2008-04-24T16:29:00.001-05:00

Greg is off at a wedding today. It's tossup whether he'll like the sign or not.

The M*A*S*H unit that is the Peace Printing/Wine Press Incubator office was a little hectic yesterday as the drywallers took down the temporary wall separating Peace and The Wine Press and put up the drywall. They were quick, but noisy and hilarity ensued as Julie and I tried to answer the phone over the din of the drywallalling routers and the Davidson press.

Naked Facade

2008-04-23T20:26:00.003-05:00

At long last the two exterior construction fences were taken down to reveal the new, finished facade. It also revealed the complete and utter mismatch between new facade and the old, painted brick.

Exhibit A:

Not to worry, we're going to have every square inch of paint removed, every bit of mortar ground out and the whole thing WILL look presentable! Before the butcher paper was put in the windows, I got to stand in the space and experience the amount of light that comes in. The storefront has an enviable north facing view and the light is spectacular.

And, since you've been so good, I'll treat you to a pic of one of the gooseneck lights that we'll be putting in the front.

Speedy Drywall

2008-04-22T22:41:00.006-05:00

4436 Olive was stormed by an army of drywallers. Every time I so much as turned my back they had another wall up.

The bathrooms went up in mere seconds

Also replaced was that worrisome support beam:

Liquor License

2008-04-21T20:34:00.002-05:00

We got our liquor license last week!

It was tough, awful but rewarding (I weigh about 5 pounds less than I did two months ago)

Thanks to everyone for their support and signatures! Once I do the requisite 494295 other steps left to open this, there will be much rejoicing.

The Precarious Cast Iron Bugle

2008-04-18T08:00:00.006-05:00

For the last four decades or so, a termite eaten support post in 4436 Olive has been butted up by two steel pipes. True, this heinus looking triumverate makes a great conversation piece, but we've decided it has no place in the wine bar. Yesterday, the old post was taken out, but the carpenters brought out an amazing little piece of cutting edge technology to help support the ceiling:

Here's a side shot, sans old support beam:

And here's the new beam:

UPDATE!
After a 5.2 magnitude earthquake, the building is still standing!

The Glazers Cameth....And Went

2008-04-16T07:55:00.005-05:00

Ahhh, the glazers, long were they anticipated and they didn't dissapoint. Each one of them mythic figures, seven feet tall, arms like tree trunks. They lifted in the huge panes of glass in and welded them in place by shooting lasers out of their eyes. They were in an out in mere minutes and I captured none of it on film. Instead, here are some pics of the finished product.

Check these out, the little pane separators are called "muttons". It's fun to say, "muttons" go right ahead, say it!

Glazers A Week Early

2008-04-10T15:03:00.002-05:00

Frankly I'm shocked. I was told two weeks, then I was told "two weeks but no guarontees", now I'm told that they're going to be in here with the glass on Monday to install it. I think this is the first setforward I've had on this project.

Meanwhile of course, I have to get cracking on the other million and one things that everyone assumes are thought of months in advance. Things like door pulls and bathroom colors and single vs. two ply toilet paper. You'd assume I'd have that all figured out, wouldn't you?

The Glazer Cometh

2008-04-09T08:42:00.007-05:00

On Monday, the framing was ready for the glazers (class cutters) to come in and measure the doors and openings for windows. In two weeks the glass'll be in and the place'll start to look like a finished product. As you can see here they hung the doors before the glass came in.

These doors are heavy as they are, they're going to be monsters when the glass is installed.

Here's a closeup of one of the window sills:

An open transom:

A shot from the interior (provocative carpenter behind thrown in gratis)

Wine Shoppin'

2008-04-04T08:44:00.003-05:00

I've been meeting with distributors and adding to my collection of catalogues. Like everything else in the wine and beer business, the catalogues don't adhere strictly to rhyme or reason. A distributor that carries a craft beer that I just got into might also carry a malt liquor that I haven't drank since college. The wine catalogues are sometimes divided by country and region, sometimes by bestselling countries then by alphabeical countries and sometimes by price. Sometimes it's a dizzying compilation of all of them and you just have to patiently go through it with a hiliter and mark what you like.

The supply chain wends through layer upon layer of customs, transport tarriffs, and of course the exchange rate of the dollar against the Euro etc. The dollar being what it is these days, I was not surprised when one distributor politely told me that the prices for French wine had -ahem- risen.

Brick and Doors

2008-04-01T13:29:00.005-05:00

After letting the green goo set on the brick, it came right off with a power washer to reveal the brick underneath:

If cost will allow, I'd love to expose the brick, which is in pretty good shape.

Also in are the doors!

A common lament is that they don't make things the way they used to. Our guys do. You can't see it easily in the picture, but these things are HUGE. They're eight and a half feet tall. If Yao Ming walked in, he wouldn't have to duck!

Here's a bad picture of me stretching out my hand trying to touch the top:

The red color is just primer, they'll be a darker shade when all is said and done.

OG Brick or Painted OG Brick?

2008-03-28T15:59:00.006-05:00

In order to get the tax credits for this project, the facade has to either be the color of the brick or the naked brick itself. I had had high hopes for a blue or a green color but that was just not in the works. The original brick isn't red, it's a light brown color similar to the brick in the building across the street:

So the question now is, do I have the brick painted that yellowish color, or do I just strip the paint off the bricks now and leave them naked as the day they were fired? I talked with the tuck pointer and he said that the bricks looked like they were in pretty good shape. But to be sure, we spread this green goopy organic paint stripper onto the building. Wit the weather as it is, it'll take a while for this stuff to change color and come off (hopefully with the paint).

Just as a point of reference, here's what the unpainted brick looks like. You'll have to use your imagination since 104 years of coal and car pollution have darkened them up quite a bit.

New Neighbors

2008-03-24T14:59:00.004-05:00

The Boxing Gym, Central West End is opening up just down the street at the intersection of Olive and Taylor. They'll be doing cardio boxing classes and will be expanding their operation to include the basement of the building, which is apparently huge.

No More Imaginary Tea Parties

2008-03-20T12:28:00.006-05:00

When I first laid eyes on the printing room of Peace Printing, I was extremely skeptical. Greg looked like something of a looney tromping through piles of scrap paper, wending around heavy equipment, pointing and saying things like "Y'see, all we gotta do it just get this equipment outta here and just put in a wine bar. The dark room is where we'll put the kitchen!" His enthusiasm was and is contagious, and soon I was telling everyone to ignore the smell of ink solvent and picture the wine bar that would come.

Now that the majority of the rough framing is in, I don't have to ask very much of anyone's imagination. Check it out!

The Bar!

The Kitchen!

The Bathrooms!

A Doorway!

New Concrete Floor

2008-03-06T15:36:00.003-06:00

From This:

And This:

To This:

Concrete Day

2008-03-05T10:37:00.002-06:00

The concrete is currently being poured, I'll have videos and pictures up soon. In the meantime, let me entertain you all with five seconds of Greg's offset printer:

Averting Expensive Fixes

2008-03-03T21:17:00.002-06:00

On Friday, it became clear that the 1200 lb swinging door was below the grade of the impending concrete pour. This caused more than a little bit of stress over the weekend since there was absolutely no telling how long it would take to cut it down and haul it out before the concrete could come down (time, I shall remind you = money)

As it turned out, the 1200 lb door was nothing more than a 400 lb door and it was cut down and hauled out in less than a half hour.

Simularly, our brand new, beautiful furnace came to a coughing halt over the weekend and refused to turn back on. Instead of calling our HVAC in, which would have cost quite a pretty penny, we were able to drain the exhaust water hose that had been pinned up to a wall.

Sure the plumbing, electric, flatwork, you name it turned out to be more expensive, but it's nice to have a couple of money saving moments.

The Concrete Pour Cometh

2008-03-02T21:38:00.002-06:00

The gravel is set, the new(er) construction facade is up, and Tuesday, untold gallons of concrete will pour all over creation.

A Piece of Liquor License Ephemora ON THE HOUSE!

2008-02-26T21:43:00.002-06:00

Apparently, you can serve booze in Missouri without a Sunday License if New Year Eve, St. Patty's day or Superbowl Sunday should fall on a Sunday (note, superbowl sunday usually falls on a Sunday).

Carnage and Rock

2008-02-25T19:25:00.006-06:00

The award winning Bobcat operator made another appearance and did what he does best. The remainder of the old facade of the building was destroyed and more rock was spread around.

Also present today was the Plumm-Orr. Similar to a Centaur, he is half man, half sidewalk.

The New Neighbors

2008-02-18T20:13:00.004-06:00

Here's a bird's eye/second floor view of the new pair of townhomes coming in across the street. They're going up pretty quick. and they look like they'll be pretty nice. Just this fall there were a bunch of scragelly trees, weeds and bushes where they are now. The developer is a really nice guy and has been a great neighbor, but a little competition is healthy.

I now challenge him to a build-off. I see his two townhomes and raise him a Wine Bar!

Plumbing

2008-02-18T14:50:00.004-06:00

This is not the grease trap that dreams are made of, this is the grease trap that was installed today. No epic poetry, just trappin' grease. Look for the exciting follow up post sometime in the late fall when I convince someone to clean it out for me.

Simularly functional and unsexy is this handy-dandy 8" pvc pipe that'll house the soda gun system.

Liquor License

2008-02-11T09:59:00.000-06:00

I don't know if this is the Quixote in me but, I'm excited to finally be going through the process of getting a liquor license. It's a fairly serpenting series of steps which are set up with the interests of the neighborhood in mind. I went on down to city hall last week and gave the (extremely) nice woman about 17 pieces of paper, my photo ID, a thumbprint and some money and in exchange I recieved a printout of owners, businesses and tenants in a 350 food radius. She also gave me postcards which I would have to fill out by hand and then give back to her stamped. I ask you, when was the last time you hand wrote anything? I felt I was going to have to put my whole left arm in an epsom salt bath.

I gave back the postcards and if all goes well, I'll come back on Wednesday and get my petition form. In St. Louis, you have to have a majority of neighbors sign your petition for a liquor license. If a majority doesn't sign well....but hey, who doesn't like a little wine?

Rafter Mystery Explained

2008-02-08T13:50:00.000-06:00

The ceiling came down and the joists were exposed. Big, huge, suckers, each one only a foot apart from another, a great example of old school overengineering. The question was, why is there white stuff on them?

At first, we thought they might be calcium deposits from old leaks, but they're way too uniform and they begin and end at very clear points.

It wasn't until Laclede Gas came out (formerly The Lacled Gaslight Company) to talk about changing our service around that we got a clue. I showed him the ceiling and in turn he showed me a copy of the original service request for the building from 1936 to The Diana Bakery Company. The front of the building was retail, and the rear was the bakery and the white stuff on the joists is 75 YEAR OLD FREAKING FLOUR!

We Could Stop Right Now And Have A Great Looking Squat

2008-02-04T20:35:00.000-06:00

Not satisfied to stretch out the agonizing process, Nate and Nick thwacked out the rest of the ceiling over the weekend with their fancy raised scissor lift. I was tempted to stage my own "Inconvenient Truth" moment but I feel I've put just too much rank dorkiness on this site as it is. The joists are in good shape overall, which is a relief. We found a mysterious square opening in the wine bar ceiling that had been patched closed years ago and reinforced. It might have been an old chimney opening when the space was three separate retail spaces, but I'd prefer to imagine it as a closed up firehouse pole or an old trap door for a rum running operation.

More Carnage

2008-01-31T15:10:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, Nate and Nick started the demo of the ceiling of the Peace Printing office. Greg was out for the day so Julie and I sat in the office while the demo started on the other side of the wall. The sound of the hammering and the plaster hitting the concrete 13 feet below echoed off of the walls of the empty space. It sounded like they were beating a confession out of the building.

It looks like he crawled out of a mine shaft before he asked me to check his e-mail.

That was yesterday. Today, they were dressed to handle uranium, kidnap ET and after lunch get rid of some bodies.

I Have No Superlatives For Our Dumpster

2008-01-28T21:54:00.000-06:00

Progress today was not very photogenic. Nick and Nate prepped the space for destruction and took down bits of conduit, bric a brac and pondered mysterious, semi-structural beams that run parallel to the joists. I for one shuffled papers around, wrapped my noggin around money stuff and generally froze my butt off since I have the coldest seat in temporary office.

But hey, the dumpster came.

Destruction Awaits

2008-01-26T22:36:00.000-06:00

Nick and Nathan made short work of the rest of the office. I helped demolish the hung ceiling, which was extremely antisocial but very satisfying. I asked that the carptet be destroyed in my absens. In the twenty years that it's been down, it's been cleaned exactly zero times, so it's anybody's guess how dead the dead rat was that fell on Nick's neck as he picked up the carpet and got ready to cut it.

In case you're wondering, no, I don't pay either of them even close to enough to deal with that.

As the ceiling was taken down, the lights were moved into the back space and a few were plugged in for a little light. They cast a creepy light on the whole space.

Bonus picture of the Wine Bar (such as it is).

Oh and some more of the future kitchen/current mess:

Oh God It Was Horrible

2008-01-24T19:19:00.000-06:00

It wasn't really, it was just really hard, and dusty and stressful.

We moved the office into a smaller room in the warehouse part of the building in preparation for demolition on Monday. It all happened very quickly, and twenty five years of crap was moved into the new space, put back into the "Creepy Room" (more on that later) or dragged into the printing room to await later demolition. All that is left now are a bunch of wires that go to nothing, some odd bits of hung ceiling and a very very worn out carpet.

The Temp Facade: Cute As A Ladybug's Toenail

2008-01-23T20:43:00.000-06:00

Not satisfied to simply slap up some plywood and call it a day, our general contractor primed the sheets in blue and had his daughter's Brownie troup go to town on them. I suggested a "Wine and Beer" or an "Ol' Gaslight Square" theme, but in the end, the girls chose to go with "Underwater". Check it out!

I introduced myself to a guy walking his dog to the dog run. He was under the impression that we were opening a pet store. Time for some signage. If I only knew of a good printer...

Blast From The Past

2008-01-22T21:57:00.000-06:00

This building and four others used to be owned by one screen printing company. They blasted holes in the walls between the buildings and ran forklifts through them. When they were parceled out, the holes were bricked up and largely forgotten. Now that the equipment is out of the space, I was able to peek behind the doorway and discover that SCREENPRINTERS DO IT BEST!

Also behind the door was an O.G "Have A Nice Day" bumper sticker. I've never been sure what the heck the original sticker was supposed to mean, but in an era where ol' smiley is synonamous with cheaply made goods from Walmart, I say to you all HAVE A NICE DAY!

Everybody Out

2008-01-22T21:39:00.000-06:00

The last of the equipment got booted out of the wine bar space. What was formerly the darkroom is now the future kitchen. Greg is going to be getting a fancy new computer to plate system, so this was an unceremonial end of an era.

Whatever it was, we had to drain all of the developing fluid from the machines into buckets and it stank to high heaven. I went to my other meetings today knowing full well that I stank of dust and toner.

Moving Out

2008-01-18T17:41:00.000-06:00

Nathan, Nick, Matt and I spent the day moving the "smaller pieces" of equipment that were left after the cutter and printing press rapture. It was a lot of grunting and strategizing and using an implement called a Mule (essentially a very small right angle attached to a very long pole for maximum leverage). By the end of the day, the printing room was cleared of all of the semi-antique equipment and is now perfect for a game of handball. I'll have pics of the new printing room soon.

Rig It Up

2008-01-17T19:14:00.000-06:00

HERE'S HOW YA DO IT, PEOPLE:

FIRST: CUT A HOLE

THEN, DRIVE A FORKLIFT THROUGH IT

CHAIN ER UP

DRIVE ER OUT

AAAANNND PARK IT

EAT LUNCH AND REPEAT

Let there be now doubt about it, I had absolutely, positively no hand in moving this stuff. I just stood around and worried. The riggers were great, even if there was some unpleasantness in the business aspects of the whole thing.

Slept About As Much As I Figgered I Would

2008-01-17T05:58:00.001-06:00

A commercial real estate agent once told me, "if you wake up before five, you woke up the day before." If that's true, I woke up yesterday at 4:22 am and am now about to go to work. The riggers should be good at their job, right?

Threading The Needle

2008-01-16T07:54:00.000-06:00

I'm all atwitter about tomorrow, when the printing room will get a much awaited equipment-ectomy. The furnace is online, the electricians are ready, the front doorway is all set to be blasted out and covered with plywood.

Here's what has to happen:

THIS

AND THIS

NEED TO GO HERE

After that, it's just a simple matter of moving the other several tons of crap outta there, taking out the ceiling, busting up the floors and filling the place with wine bar. Piece of cake!

Sign Mystery

2008-01-14T21:42:00.000-06:00

So in the alleyway between my building and the next is this enormous, decaying sign from the bygone Gaslight Square era. Check it out:

as you can not so clearly see, the sign clearly says "Gaslight Square". I've been trying to find out from people just where the heck this used to reside. So far, I've been told by one old timer that it was in front of the Crystal Palace, which used to be located on the southwest corner of Olive and Boyle.

If you look at this documentary at minute 13:30, you can see that either this sign or it's twin was used to mark "The Guilded Cage, another Gaslight Square joint. I put in an e-mail to the documentary filmmaker, hopefully I'll get the whole mystery solved in time to negotiate fixing the damend thing up to put in front of the building.

The Grey Lady Weighs In On Extreme Beers

2008-01-11T09:11:00.000-06:00

The NY Times Wine reviewers weigh in on"extreme beers". It's a pretty good article with some interactive bits and reviews. There is the above photo of the tattooed wild man enjoying a hoppy beer and getting an adorable little IPA mustache which I'd like to address. The photo indicates, and rightly so, that true enjoyment of "extreme beers" can only be obtained shirtless, bald and tatted up. Though you can't see the New York Times' Eric Asimov in the recorded reviews I can assure you that Mr. Asimov was shirtless while speaking into the microphone. I have it on good confidence that he was ejected multiple times from Brooklyn's Spuyten Duyvil bar for defying their "no shirt, no service policy".

Seriously though, great article. I want to get my hands on the first case of Dogfish Head 90 Minute that they give to beer distributors in St. Louis. You'll see why.

The Face of Things To Come

2008-01-10T08:32:00.000-06:00

Drama this week regarding the facade of the building. There are hundreds of buildings in St. Louis that have covered up their once glass filled facades in the last 50 years, as the business and population bled out of the city and into the county. I've seen everything from wood, glass blocks, bricks and concrete slabs used. The building in question was filled in by wood, sheeting which was insulated then covered on the inside with drywall. Now that we're doing a historic renovation, we're going to go ahead and rebuild a facsimile of what the building used to be like when it was built in the early 'oughts.

Which brings us to the pole. There's is a monster, six inch wide pole that supports the facade of the building. The pole is the proverbial sleeping dragon and we're committed to building around it. A few months back, two architects daintily cut out a square of drywall, found the pole and measured the distance between the pole and the walls in order to build the facade around it. Their intentions wer better than their measurments though and the facade they designed was off by a foot and a half in regards, or disregard to the pole.

Insert joke here calculating numbers of architects neccessary to measure one pole.

After some panic, much cussing we changed things around a bit so that we could appease the need for symmetry, the ADA, historical accuracy and of course, the pole.

Here's hoping.

The Ugly Part

2008-01-08T16:23:00.000-06:00

Sure there'll be later posts where I go on about the deep, rich tastes of certain wines, where I'll give pretty pictorals of my times touring Missouri vinyards and post self-indulgant pictures of me and my attractive friends eating large loaves of bread on handsomely made quilts. I'll even tackle harder issues like the increase in hop pricing and it's possible effects on the November election. But now, today, I'm more concerned with toilets flushing.

Imagine if you will the printing room: Nick, Nate and I took down the dropped ceiling as best we could (so as not to disturb the cutter or the Heidelberg press). Greg working to finish a job on the Heidelberg and the plumbers rocking a jackhammer to bust up some concrete. I'm not sure if you could see me laughing through my dust mask.

This is what the back looks like without the dropped ceiling:

Good Plumbing News

2008-01-07T20:24:00.000-06:00

We popped for the building equivilant of a colonoscopy and had the sewer lines video-snaked. If I get the video and it's at all interesting, I'm tempted to post it with a little YouTube link. Dunno which of our potential customers would want to know just WHERE the toilet flushes to, but am I really the one to decide? Full disclosure is full disclosure. The news that we got was pretty good, they were able to drill our a little blockage and the ten foot span of pipe that would have to be put in is now about three.

My biggest concern now is to find an electrician to move the electricity back to the new printing room. Once that is nailed down, then I can spend some time doing a some other projects I've been wanting to get to like, oh, I don't know....getting a liquor license!

A Little Taste Of What Was

2008-01-06T21:03:00.001-06:00

I'll try to get some better stuff (and probably do a little historic walking tour) but here's a little youtube taste of what Gaslight Square used to be.

Rapid Acceleration

2008-01-06T14:42:00.000-06:00

I've been at this project for about six months, Greg has had the idea for the wine bar for close to two years. The bank has known about it for about three months and they were good enough to give us the money. We've got the drawings, the permit, an extremely competent general contractor and now we've got to GO!

By the thirtieth of this month:
Create a room in the back of the building for the twelve tons of printing equipment to go.
Move the HVAC back and create a climate controlled room for the paper and equipment.
Have riggers MOVE all of the equipment out of a blasted out hole in the facade, around the block and into the new printing room in the back of the building.
Move every last lick of usable stuff from the printing office into the envelope printing room (phones, computers, desks, Greg's golfing trophies etc).
Violently demolish everything left over.

About Us

2008-01-04T15:19:00.001-06:00

WHO WE ARE

Greg Stevens:
Last of the great St. Louis, Pinko-Commie, Union Printers
Owner, Printer, Peace Institute Printing

The Project: Turn the former printing room (or press room if you like) at Peace Institute Printing into a wine bar, thereby giving the old Gaslight District a well needed shot in the arm.

What we have to work with: