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May 22, 2018

A tour of downtown’s Washington Square led Bob Novak to his newest business venture.

As he and his sales team at Novak Sanitary Service toured the building, the developers mentioned a vision for a first-floor wine bar.

“And it happened to be the day I was going to tell the salespeople I would be done April 1 and consult until February,” said Novak, who bought Novak Sanitary from his parents 42 years ago and grew it to 23,000 customers.

“It came up right out of the blue.”

Wine is a passion for Novak and his wife, Cathy, who have amassed a 3,400-bottle collection.

“It’s just one of those hobbies you can share with everybody,” he said.

He will bring his expertise to the public when he opens Wine Time on Main later this year.

“It’s a long, narrow space with all glass in the front, and we’ll have a nice-size wine cellar in the back that will be the main focal point,” Novak said.

There will be bar seating for eight to 10 people, total occupancy of 40 people and outdoor seating.

“The space is the right size for what I want to do,” Novak said. “I love the location across from the Pavilion and the fact that it’s got residents in it. I think they could be some of our best customers.”

He plans to focus mainly on wine but with a limited selection of beer and small plates that complement the wine.

“Washington Square is such a good fit for Bob’s new business,” said Raquel Blount of Lloyd Cos., who leased the space. “I can definitely envision people coming for a glass of wine before or after a show at the Pavilion. He’s going to bring a level of quality to the property that will match the level of development we’ve already seen take place there.”

Wine Time will join the newly opened Parlour Ice Cream House on the first floor of the building at 12th Street and Main Avenue. There continues to be strong interest from restaurants in the remaining space, co-developer Chris Houwman said.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Wine Time to Washington Square,” he said. “It’s exactly the type of business we envisioned for the space, and we know it will be the perfect addition not just to our building but to downtown as a whole.”