Rockford couple plans to transform former downtown shoe shop into cozy wine bar
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A local couple has purchased a roughly century-old building in downtown with plans to transform the property into a wine bar that delivers Rockford tastes from around the world.
Mark Podemski and Lucretia Ristin plan extensive renovations to the old Palace Shoe Repair and adjacent Downtown Shoes & Boutique, 204 N. Main St., for their yet-to-be-named wine bar concept. They expect to be able to open early next year.
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They envision a cozy setting where you can sit down with a glass of wine and charcuterie and chat with friends, perhaps before or after a downtown show. It will have service on two floors, with the cool basement space serving as a wine cellar with table seating and a look influenced by a cross between a French cavern and Italian grotto.
“We love to travel and we’re going to go and find some amazing wines that we’ll be able to bring back and just introduce to the community,” Ristin said. “We want to try to bring the world back to Rockford.”
Ristin was co-owner of Rockford Roasting Co. from its founding in 2014 until selling her ownership stake a year ago. The company built a community around freshly roasted coffee.
Now, Ristin and Podemski hope to do for wine what Rockford Roasting did for coffee.
“Rockford Roasting at one point really began to set bar again of what does good coffee look like, what does that experience feel like,” Podemski said. “It’s the same thing here.”
The original Rockford Roasting Co. building, 206 N. Main St., is next door to the building the couple just purchased. Ristin still owns the property and it is available for lease. Rockford Roasting Co. now operates out of 416 S. Main St. at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Rockford Riverfront hotel.
Palace Shoe Repair closed in April 2021 after 95 years in business for the family-owned operation.
The shop was at 204 N. Main St. since 1958. It opened in 1926 on North Main Street next to the former Palace Theater, which was demolished many years ago.
Podemski and Ristin purchased the shop and next door boutique from the Giamalva family trust for $180,000 on June 11, according to records with the Winnebago County Clerk & Recorder’s office.
They’re now working with Studio GWA architects to complete designs for the space in hopes to complete renovations and open by the first quarter of 2025. Some of the work involves knocking down a dividing wall between the shoe repair shop and boutique, and removing a drop ceiling to take advantage of the 14-foot-high space.
The future wine bar is across the street from where Oliver Emerson Development plans to build 14 lofts with ground floor commercial space. The couple feels the new wine bar will add to the attraction of downtown living.
“People who live downtown want to be able to play downtown, they want to go out and eat downtown, they want to have a place to meet friends downtown,” Podemski “That’s the allure a lot of times of living in a downtown space, just walking to wherever you can go for fun and entertainment.”
Podemski and Ristin have been together for 16 years, having met in Sweden while she lived there and he was visiting as part of his former role with the Rockford Area Economic Development Council. They also own Comfort Keepers, a business they bought about seven years ago that helps seniors with at-home health care and assistance.
While work to develop the space is ongoing, the couple is also pursuing their sommelier certification. But they said you won’t have to be a wine connoisseur to appreciate the variety they’ll bring to their future business.
“This isn’t about high-end, necessarily,” Podemski said. “It’s really more about approachable and affordable but also great experiences.”
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas
