Wine bar to come to Owego’s Lake Street

OWEGO (WBNG) - “We don’t have anything really on the way from like a Binghamton, Endicott standpoint to the Finger Lakes to stop and get wine and it’s a huge wine area. I took it upon myself to do it,” said Elizabeth Skovira, a local businesswoman.

Along Owego’s Lake Street, Skovira is opening a new wine bar business.

“A lot of people park on Lake Street, shop Front and Lake, and then they kind of leave. I’m like let’s keep them down here. So it just seemed like the perfect spot,” said Skovira.

The Tioga County native has invested in our area as she’s also the owner of Owego’s Local Utopia. The latest space is located right next door to the shop. “I just knew that it was open and snagged it. If anything was downtown, I probably would have done the same thing,” said the business owner.

The name, Leonardo’s Wine Bar, and its business model has personal significance. “Leonardo is my grandfather from Sicily. He actually had a tailor shop in Binghamton. And then my other grandfather had a bar in Long Island...,” said Skovira.

Once doors open to the public, when it comes to the menu, don’t expect one list to stay around. “I will be switching the menu so often because I’m going to force people to try new wines, new things, and we’ll see how it goes,” she said.

Skovira’s goal is to do a tapas wine bar and then include items from a multitude of countries. The soft opening will be during Strawberry Fest and then she plans to have a grand opening Sunday, July 10.

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