The opening of a wine store and bar in Clarendon is approaching, after numerous delays and setbacks.
The aptly named “Clarendon Wine Club” at 1114 N. Irving Street originally hoped to open this past fall. According to one of the owners, who requested they not be named, there is no set timeline for opening but they are hopeful to begin operating “someday soon.”
The owners, a self-described “Lyon Village couple,” said the landlord of the space passed away and the estate changed hands several times, resulting in significant delays.
“Unfortunately, we have had a lot of setbacks, including several transfers of custodianship of the landlord estate that delayed signatures and paperwork,” the owner told ARLnow. “Arlington has our paperwork, and it is pending currently.”
The business is a couple of doors down from O’Sullivan’s Irish Pub and around the corner from Clarendon Ballroom, which was revamped in 2022 with a new interior, a renovated rooftop and a pizza take-out window.
Clarendon does have at least three other businesses that can reasonably be classified as wine bars. Screwtop Wine Bar on N. Fillmore Street recently underwent an ownership change but is still operating as a wine shop. Northside Social Coffee & Wine at 3211 Wilson Blvd. is a self-titled “neighborhood café, wine bar, bakery & coffeehouse,” per their website.
The Board Room at 925 N Garfield Street, meanwhile, has a Champagne lounge that serves wine of the bubbly variety.