By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
Wine enthusiasts no longer need to travel far to enjoy a good glass of the fine stuff. Rather, they only need to look to Norman’s Niche in Bucyrus.
Natalie and Jeff Norman cut the ribbon to their wine bar Wednesday afternoon. Their business, located at 219 S. Sandusky Ave., invited visitors in to enjoy a sample of wine while browsing the selections of wines, craft beer, and barware and accessories.
“We just love wine and decided to do something that we love,” Natalie said.
“It was something that we knew,” added Jeff. “We went to a lot of different ones around Ohio and seen them. We found that there was nothing close to Bucyrus so we decided, well, let’s do it here in Bucyrus.”
The wine bar keeps its focus on supporting other local businesses.
“We try to keep things as close to home as possible,” said Natalie. “A lot of our products are Ohio-based products.”
Though they have wines from all over, Norman’s Niche also showcases a selection of Ohio wines. The Normans offer a selection of craft beers as well. The candles offered for sale are Ohio-based while the chocolates are out of Dayton. Items from Designs by Punky are also displayed.
Norman’s Niche offers wine tastings every day.
“Each week we change it up,” Jeff said. “We usually have between five and six varieties. Each week you can taste them or buy them buy the glass.”
Norman’s Niche has officially been open for three weeks and, so far, the welcoming has been tremendous.
“It’s been great,” Natalie said. “We’ve already added tables to the other side of the store because we started out kind of conservative to see how things went. We’ll be expanding our hours too because it’s been such a good response on the weekends.”
Norman’s Niche is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Jean Blackford, a self-proclaimed snowbird, was one of the customers to walk home with a new bottle of wine from Norman’s Niche on Wednesday.
“It’s fantastic,” Blackford said. “These kinds of stores brings the city to us.”
Blackford felt that Norman’s Niche was a great addition to the city.
“We enjoy wines and this is a great place to get them.”