Liquor Park Takes Over Life's a Cabernet View Full Caption

WICKER PARK — A neighborhood wine shop in the Flat Iron building — a reliable stop for folks on their way to BYOB restaurants — has started 2015 off with a new owners and a new name: Liquor Park.

Under new ownership, Life's a Cabernet at 1937 W. North Ave., just east of Wicker Park's Milwaukee, Damen and North avenues intersection, has been renamed to Liquor Park as of last Tuesday.

Liquor Park is co-owned by Janel Syron, a longtime employee of Life's a Cabernet who was on maternity leave when she heard that her former boss, Christopher Libby, was planning to sell the store.

"I didn't want to look for a new job with a brand new baby, plus I love working there and I missed the customers, who are great," Syron said.

With the help of Paul Wonak, a sales representative for Two Brothers Brewing that has supplied the shop with craft beer for the past few years, Syron bought the business from Libby and become business partners with Wonak.

Syron, 30, a Logan Square resident, has worked at the shop for four years.

Since returning from maternity leave, she brings her infant son, Alex, to work. Wearing a shirt on Saturday advertising the word "hunk," six-month-old Alex Syron is popular with customers.

"All the best bottle shops have shop babies," Wonak said.

In addition to hundreds of bottles of wine, most under $20, the shop plans to add more retail space for an expanded craft beer and spirits selection from local breweries and distilleries such as Pipeworks Brewery, Forbidden Root, Letherbee and Koval.

"I'm just excited about giving the store a facelift," Syron said, adding that weekly wine tasting events and all wine club subscriptions will stay the same.

Christopher Libby opened Life's a Cabernet in 2010 and sold the shop to focus on a catering business, Syron said.

Life's a Cabernet, 1937 W. North Ave. Ph: 773-360-5536

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