Valerie:

This is the spot we hope for everything to happen. This will be our little spot in paradise. As a bartender for 12 years and a big fan of wine this could be it for me. Key West has already been my home almost 8 years, I had already made the decision that I never want to see snow again and island living suited me.

I recently helped my husband start a t-shirt line dirtydogtees.com. The next step was a space to sell tees. As soon as we saw the space all our eyes saw was a wine bar. That's what happens when two bartenders get together. We can see already...The front has to become a porch for patrons to comfortably people watch as they sip a nice red. The colors will be warm and Mediterranean feeling with rows of nice bottles of wine. It will be the place to come to read the paper in the nice morning light, enjoy a leisurely glass of Cabernet and espresso in the afternoon, and unwind in the evening with some lively bar conversation at night. And of course wine. Good wine.

That is the easy part. We had 4 good days of imaging our fabulous place and planning which vintage to serve at our gala like openings. Then we were told of conditional use permits, ada requirements, historic or harc approvals, seat fees, occupational licenses...it goes on. Our simple plan continues to take on new twists and turns. It's only been 2 weeks and I can foresee months of drama and frustration. But I'm still planning the wine list in my head.