‘Slashies’ are keeping community roots
Hybrid bars, liquor stores thrived in the pandemic
Being nimble — turning on a dime from one pivot to the next — has been essential for businesses surviving the pandemic. A wineshop-slash-bar. A pop-up bar inside a family’s Chinese restaurant. A one-stop shop for a bottle of Rioja, a smattering of cheeses and some fancy crackers your friends will gush over.
The “slashie” concept of a combined bar and liquor store has been around for some time: Maria’s Packaged Goods & Community Tavern is a Bridgeport neighborhood legend, and Rootstock has been impressing customers with ingenious pours they can sample at the Humboldt Park wine bar.
And traditionally, slashies in Chicago have been where patrons can both buy alcohol and grab a drink at the bar before heading home with their purchase. Neighborhood staples such as Rite Liquors in Wicker Park, Ola’s Liquors in East Village and Bruno’s Lounge in Rogers Park have kept the trusted, old-school tavern feel alive.
But the pandemic has pushed the slashie to new heights of creativity as owners seek out ways to help their small businesses thrive.
When you enter Juice @ 1340 on a sunny afternoon, it might feel as if you’ve been here before. The wall on the right reads “You Got the Juice” in graffiti, not only a nod to the shop’s brand but also a quick self-esteem booster.
A long wooden bar lined with stools takes up the right side of the room, while the left wall is lined with shelves of the shop’s wine selections. Straight ahead and up a flight of stairs, there’s a loft space with
cozy couches, armchairs, coffee tables and a few board games. This place feels homey, inviting and laid-back — exactly the vibe the co-founders of Juice @ 1340 want.
Danielle Lewis, Tim Williams and sommelier Derrick Westbrook are all
hospitality veterans who joined forces to open this hybrid bar and retail shop back in June. What once was simply a bottle shop that happened to have a liquor license has turned into the newest hangout in the West Loop.
Lewis handles the beer
buying; Williams takes care of buying spirits and curating the cocktail menu; and Westbrook focuses on the wine program.
“We’ve taken the idea that was singularly a wine shop ... and flipped it into an all-around beverage service,” Williams said. “Even if you don’t know the three of us personally, we do our best to make our guests feel comfortable as soon as they walk in the door. There is something about the authenticity of this space that is a positive reflection of our partnership.”
As the consumption of fermented grape juice continues to rise, wine slashies are also trying to provide a more memorable experience.
When Diana Hamann opened The Wine Goddess in Evanston nine years ago, she found herself saying yes to everything to grow her business.
“We were doing yoga and wine, hosting political fundraisers, knitting circles and book clubs,” she recalled. “In order to create multiple streams of income, I went to the city (of Evanston) and asked them to change my licensure so I could sell wine by the glass.”
Hamann sells wines from small producers, where the grapes are organic, or at least sustainably farmed whenever possible. When novice wine drinkers or first-time visitors enter the shop, she encourages them to keep an open mind and ask questions.
In addition to wines by the glass, The Wine Goddess also offers cheese plates, popcorn and a place for her largely female clientele to find a moment to rest and reset. “Sometimes, you just want to meet a friend for, like, a quiet drink, but you don’t want to have to pay for an entire threecourse meal,” Hamann said. “For those whose beverage of choice is wine, it’s a really chill place to go.”
For Erin Carlman Weber, owner of All Together Now in Ukrainian Village, what makes slashies so special is that they are utilitarian. At All Together Now, you can pick up an iced coffee in the morning on your way to work, but it’s also a place where you can pick up wine on your way home or drink with a friend over an artisan cheeseboard.
“Chicago is the kind of town that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it also likes to have fun,” Weber said. “I feel like the concept of a slashie fits really nicely into that mentality, especially given the loyalty that people have to their neighborhoods.”
And for the owners of Juice @ 1340, authenticity and connectivity are what drive their success. From self-care Sunday events with a yoga studio and weekly community tastings, to carrying Black-owned, women-owned and local wines, beer and spirits, they want everything they do to be a reflection of who they are and the community they serve.
“Slashies provide a service that no regular bar or retail shop can do, which gives us the ability to be flexible and creative,” Westbrook said. “If you like a glass of wine that we’ve poured, instead of taking a picture of the bottle, you can take it home with you. That part of what we do to actually breathes life into drinking culture.”