Winery moves to downtown
Move over beer enthusiasts, there's a new spirit in town.
Deer Creek Winery opened its doors Wednesday at 145 N. Main St., near the Penn Theater.
The winery is moving from its home for the last seven years in the Clearview Mall.
“There were no wineries down here right now until we moved in,” said Jaclyn Schur, regional manager.
Schur said the store feels like it's in a different environment.
“We're really excited to be in the downtown. It's really exciting to meet everybody,” she said. “There's lots of people out on the street, and we just keep the door open.”
Schur said she and the ownership were discussing a move to downtown, when they were further enticed by members of the Butler County Tourism & Convention Bureau.
“Then the tourism groups stopped in and dropped off their card,” Schur said.
Jack Cohen, bureau president, said the group helped connect the store with potential sites. He said the bureau is always looking for potential matchmaker scenarios.
“We talk to a lot of different companies about opportunities around Butler County,” Cohen said.
Cohen said when looking at the winery, it was an easy sell as a good fit for the business, the community and the attraction of tourists.
“The issue is real simple. We're trying to develop a way to make more people come to Main Street,” Cohen said. “Anything we can do to make that possible, we work hard to try and get there.”The winery's owner, Rhonda Brooks, said she has other businesses that have Main Street locations elsewhere in Western Pennsylvania, so the move feels like a homecoming.“I love the downtown area,” Brooks said.“We want to definitely be available and be able to handle the crowds,” she said. “I'd also like to cross promote with other business downtown.”Brooks said she has already implemented one idea for joining forces with other businesses by adding chilled wine to their stock.“We're going to be open with cold wine during the dinner hour for (bring your own beer) restaurants,” she said. “We are looking forward to serving our current customers down here and adding new customers.”Deer Creek Winery has six total locations across Western Pennsylvania with Butler being its only store in Butler County.The staff is in the early stages of planning a grand opening, according to Schur. The opening will be announced later.
