A longtime Ann Arbor party store has reopened under new ownership after a five-month hiatus.

Adam Gottschalk and his wife, Anne-Catherine Dargis, opened a new version of Blue Front on Wednesday at 701 Packard St. The new Blue Front is strictly a craft beer and wine store, with more than 600 different beers and 150 wines.

“We’re just super excited to be here and a lot of people have already been stopping by,” Gottschalk said.

Blue Front has served University of Michigan students and Ann Arbor residents for decades. The store originally sold comic books, novels and toys, but later transitioned to a party store that sold wine and beer, convenience products and snack foods. Blue Front's most recent owner, Suresh Bhagat, decided to close the store in February, citing a decline in business.

Jill Warren is the owner of the building at 701 Packard St. It includes two apartment units above the street-level space. Warren once worked at the party store, and she inherited the building from former Blue Front owner Ray Collins.

Gottschalk grew up in Ann Arbor and attended Pioneer High School. His father, Ed Gottschalk, manages Warren’s apartment units.

Gottschalk’s family renovated the Blue Front space, completely transforming it into a clean, simple craft beer and wine store.

“We built everything in here. We used reclaimed redwood that came off a deck from a condo off Plymouth Road and cherrywood from a farm my uncle bought in Northern Michigan,” Gottschalk said.

He added: “We basically gutted the place. There is a new floor, new ceiling, new lights and walls.”

Old photographs and drawings of the original Blue Front hang on the store’s walls. The beer and wine are separated by region, including an Ann Arbor section that has brews from Wolverine State Brewing and Jolly Pumpkin. Customers can also mix and match to create a six-pack from any of the 600 beers.

Gottschalk estimated Michigan beer and wine accounts for about 30 percent of Blue Front’s inventory.

“Ann Arbor is constantly ranked in ‘best beer cities’ in the state and country. We just wanted an inviting place where you can come, even if you’re not buying stuff. We have some chairs, you can hang out and just talk about beer,” he said.

The store also has a small section for candy, snacks, plastics cups and ice.

Gottschalk said he plans to expand the store’s offerings once business gets going and he gets a sense for customer demand.

Blue Front’s hours are: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The store will open earlier on football Saturdays.

Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for The Ann Arbor News. Reach her at 734-255-2638, email her lizzyalfs@mlive.com or follow her on Twitter.