Wine bar to be new hot Spot
Published Saturday, March 8, 2008
Photo by Susan Larson
The Spot will look considerably different when renovations are completed. Michael Loreno purchased the building about two years ago and plans to open a sandwich and wine shop in May. The name, The Spot, will be kept.
Surrounded by construction debris, Michael Loreno looks around his building at 220 W. Lincoln Ave. It might not look like much now, but come spring the old Spot will have a new look — and a new life.
Loreno is turning The Spot — the former restaurant/bar — into a wine and panini bar. The building was purchased a couple of years ago; the idea of the wine bar came later.
“There isn’t one in town and I don’t want to be major competition for other local businesses,” Loreno said. “I want the downtown of Fergus Falls to have some kind of retail and somewhere to go at night.”
Although the concept is new, Loreno is keeping the name.
“That’s the name it came with. It’s known as The Spot.”
Besides panini sandwiches (sandwiches filled with deli meats and grilled), the menu will include cold sandwiches “that hail from New Orleans,” salad, wine and beer.
It’s a new undertaking, but Loreno plans on doing the cooking himself. He foresees being open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. for lunch and dinner, six days a week, “At first. We’ll see how it goes.” His wife, Mary, and their son, Courton, 17, will help out, as will daughter Marisa, 20, when her college schedule allows.
“We’re going to try to buy everything as local as possible — bread, veggies, wine,” Loreno said.
If you want French fries, you’re out of luck.
“We’re not going to have anything with grease,” he said.
A soft opening is planned for May.
“We’ll have a grand opening after we work the bugs out.”
This will be the first for-profit business Loreno has run. For eight years he has been director of A Place to Belong, a drop-in center for people with mental illness. He plans to step down from that post when his business opens.
Before The Spot can open, renovations must be completed. Some of the structure’s original amenities, such as the original tin-punch ceiling and brick wall, will be restored. The old bar, located in the back of the building, will be fixed up and moved up front.