ConVino will be Closing at the end of service on Aug. 18th

Over the past 7 months, I have been dealing with some difficult business situations.  Until the past week or so, I thought all my efforts were paying off, and things were going to work out.  Not exactly fine, but manageable in the short term and workable in the long term.  In the past few days, things have imploded.

The crux of the issue is some IRS payments that I didn’t make in 2018.  We had really slow business at the beginning of the year, the IRS is slow to react, I thought business would pick up, and I chose to pay my employees first, vendors second, Landlord and Bank third, and IRS last.  Business didn’t pick up fast enough, and not enough when it did.  Interest and penalties more than doubled the original amount. 

I have been in what I thought were negotiations with the IRS.  I have learned that the IRS agent assigned to ConVino is known for taking pleasure in shutting down small businesses, and no matter what we have discussed, he has not agreed to any of the proposals of payment plans I have offered.  He has seized every penny in the ConVino account twice.

The actions he has taken, especially over the last 3 months, have alerted the bank that holds the loan, and they are now calling in the loan.  The IRS situation caused Thornes to withdraw the lease renewal option, which would have renewed October 1^st, but because of the IRS taking all our money at the beginning of 2 different months, causing us to bounce rent twice in a row and not being able to make it up.  I don't really blame them.  We are in some significant arrears with them now, and the IRS is nearly at the door.

I am devastated to say this, but there is nothing more I can do to save ConVino. 

With all my heart, I want to thank all of you for being such great customers.  Those who come right when we open and drink beer, those who come every Thursday after work and drink orange wine, the patio Spritzers with their dogs, the many couples that have made ConVino their "date night" spot, the ConVino first dates that are married now, the ones that know that herbed crisps are always available even though they're not on the menu, and all the regulars and not so regulars that made our job enjoyable. 

We hope to see you in the next 8 days!

With sadness and gratitude,

Caroline

July is upon us. 

Asparagus risotto is done, Garlic Scape risotto is in.  Hot soup is out, cold Moroccan Carrot Soup is in.  Basil is growing like crazy and the Steak and Pesto Flatbread is back.  We have a Dijon Potato Salad that you can have on its own or substitute for fries on your steaks, burger or spanakopita.

 

We’re checking the Tuesday and Saturday Farmers Markets for fun stuff to put in specials.  This is a really fun time of year for cooks!  So, come down and see what we’ve got!  The patio is open when it’s not raining. 

See you soon!

Springtime!

We seem to have made it through Winter, finally.  Doesn't look like it will dip below freezing again.  I'm about to move the palm tree back out to the patio and get the patio furniture out of storage. 

I don't plan to start setting up the patio for a little while.  We open at 5pm most days, and by that hour, it is really a bit too chilly to be sitting outside.  I know we have a heater and blankets, but I'm tellin' ya, don't expect it til May.

Passover and Easter are in a couple of weeks.   We wish you all joyous holidays.  We will, as usual, be closed on Easter Sunday.  It's one of the 5 days a year that Thornes is closed, so we get to be closed. 

On April 28th, a bunch of restaurants in town are collaborating on  a Cheese Walk.  We'll have a cheese or two paired with half glasses of wine.  I am trying to source some cheeses that are hard to get in Western Mass for this event, so I'm not sure just yet what we'll have.  They'll be tasty, though, for sure.  And I know Franchesca is looking forward to finding the perfect pairings.



The Northampton Pride Parade is May the Fourth.  (I don't know if the parade organizers realized that it's also a Star Wars holiday.)   You know I always say everything is better with (con) wine (vino), and it's especially true about parades, I find.  If the weather's nice, the patio will be open.  A perfect place to proudly unwind from the festivities.

Take Mom out to ConVino for Mother's Day.  We will open 2 hours early at 1:00 and have our full menu plus some Brunchy items.  Say "I love you, Mom!" with a couple of Mimosas and Brioche French Toast.  Or a dozen oysters and a bottle of Muscadet on the patio. 

Graduation season starts actually the Friday before Mother's Day, with UMass graduation.  The weekend after is Smith, Mt. Holyoke and Hampshire, and Memorial Day Weekend is Amherst.  Reservations are highly recommended on those weekends.

We look forward to seeing you often as the school year winds down and through the Summer.

February!

Groundhog Day!  Come have choucroute.  Again.  

Valentine's Day!  We'll have our full menu and some romantic specials.  We still have some tables, but make your reservations because we're filling up fast.


There's other stuff.  I'll get to it soon!

What's coming up? I'll tell you...

Well, this weekend there is a lot.

I was recently informed that the last Saturday of every month is "Open that Bottle Day."  We open bottles every day around here, but there is One that needs to be opened.  In 2015, we bought a few magnums of a gorgeous California Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre called The Trancendentalist.  We sold one very quickly, it took over a year to sell another, and we have had just the one left for a very long time.  What we've learned is that our customers really like to try a bunch of different glasses of wine, and they rarely want a bottle with 10 glasses of the same wine.  It was a good learning.  And now, we're going to pull the cork on the last bottle of the Trancendentalist and sell it by the glass.  We took a Coravin taste of it, just to be sure that it wasn't corked.  It is maybe even better for having almost 4 extra years in the bottle.   To add to the experience, we're going to serve it with a plate of Pesto di Noci toasts.  It's a lovely sip and snack for $14.50, while it lasts.

Saturday night, we're going to take a jump to the left, and then a step to the right.  We're going to put the Rocky Horror Picture Show on the screens at 10:15.  I suggest drinking an actual toast, rather than throwing toast at the screen.  I mean, we do have wine, and we're not underage in a movie theater.

Sunday, we have the rescheduled Fumi Tomita duo from 6pm - 8pm.  They were supposed to play last Sunday, but we had that "weather event".  So glad to have decent weather on tap for this Sunday.  It should be a great evening of jazz.

Then we'll have the SAG awards on the screen in the bar until closing time.



There's more when February gets here, and I'll post more soon.  Spoiler Alert:  We will not have the Super Bowl on the screens here.

Happy New Year!

Join us for our Midnight in Paris party New Year's Eve.  We'll be open at 4pm which is earlier than our usual Monday time. 

The Northampton fireworks are at 6:15, set off from the roof of the parking garage.  So have an early snack and see the fireworks, or come later for dinner.

We'll be Closed for New Year's Day, and we'll also be closed on January 2nd, so our staff can have a holiday party.

We are starting our 5th year today.  Thank you so much for your support over the years.  We look forward to seeing you in 2019!

Let the Holidays Begin

Well, we've had our first big snowfall, so I guess we'll just jump into the holidays full speed.

Tomorrow, Nov 17th, is Bag Day - a huge shopping extravaganza in Northampton.  ConVino is the perfect spot to take a break, have some wine, check your list, strategize your best route to the next retail success, fortify with some fancy fries and sally forth.

Thanksgiving is next week.  We will be open regular hours on Wednesday and Friday, though we'll be closed on Thursday.  If you are planning to meet up with a bunch of friends and you would like to be in our Lounge area, you should call and reserve it.  We seem to have more 5-8 people groups the night before Thanksgiving, so just a heads up.

December 1st is Northampton's Holiday Stroll from 5pm-8pm.  They'll close Main Street and have various family oriented festivities.  We're a cozy and relatively calm spot to break from the outdoor activities. 

We will be Closed to the general public on Monday, December 10th.  We've been rented out for a Holiday Party!  We only do one buy-out per holiday season, so if it sounds like something you might like to do, call early for next year.  Groups of up to 20 may still be able to be accommodated this year.  If  you would like to have your Holiday Party at ConVino give us a call, and we will see if we can do it.

We will be Closed on Christmas, New Year's Day, and also January 2nd (for our annual Staff Party). Christmas Eve we will be open from 1-5pm with a limited menu.

Don't forget that ConVino gift certificates make a great holiday present.