Couple shifts focus for new winery tasting room to former Port Huron deli spot

The owners of Belle River Winery are shifting plans to bring a new tasting room to Port Huron — now in a historic building at the corner of Military and Water streets.

Owners Rob and Hannah Cowan initially sought to open in the former Uniquely Me Boutique on the other side of downtown but did not ultimately complete leasing arrangements in the vacant space.

Then, more recently, they stumbled across another spot previously occupied by the now-closed Moe’s Corner Deli and decided to act.

“We were just going to go for a walk along the river, the River Walk, and we stopped at the light here and saw a for (rent) sign. And that was it,” Hannah said. Rob added it was “purely by chance.”

“It looked doable. You could see the sink from the window,” she continued.

“It already had a bar, it already had a kitchen, which is half of the effort,” Rob said. “So, we didn’t have to build that stuff out. Even though we took that bar out, it caught our attention.”

Now, the couple said they’re looking forward to embracing the history of the more-than-a-century-old building — it’s still owned by a trust in the name of the late preservation advocate Marcia Haynes — with a 1920s theme, while staying true to their larger goal supporting applied behavioral analysis treatments for families with autistic children, including their own.

The Cowans initially founded their winery to help supplement funding for treatment for their son Mikey, who’s now 5, and later 3-year-old Wyatt. they have seven children in all. The business, 2405 Arlington Road is near their home, greenhouse, beehives, and more, and offers a larger menu of wine, mead, rum, and brandy made in-house.

At the Port Huron spot, Rob Cowan said, "I think slushies are going to be big. … We’ll have a couple of pizza ovens. So, we’ll do pizzas, as well. That’ll be nice. We’ll probably get our charcuterie boards from someone in town. We like to support local if we can rather than go the store.”

Port Huron City Council members signed off on recommending the Columbus Township-based winery’s latest application for a new off-premises tasting room permit earlier this month, and days later, the Cowans announced their plans to move into the former deli building on Facebook.

On Friday, they discussed their differing preferences of where to construct a new bar for the tasting room as painting was underway nearby.

Rob said they planned to cover the windows when painting was done.

They planned to seal the brick, strip and stain the wood flooring, replace a checkered tile, remove a small stage area, install a new bar, and add black trim and other accents around the space. That also meant installing new, indirect lighting, potentially including some “chandelier, ‘20s-looking” fixtures, Rob said.

“We want it to have a formal look where you walk in, ‘Ooh, I may have underdressed a little bit,’” he said. “… This is a really cool date night kind of spot.”

On their opening timeline, Rob said they are “hoping within 90 days,” depending on approval from the Michigan Liquor Control Commission.

Previously, the Cowans said they’ve been able to sponsor another family to help pay for treatment with the winery and were looking to expand the effort. But outside of that goal, their Port Huron tasting room was a “family affair” in another way.

Hannah Cowan’s mother, Michelle Burke, is partnering with them on the project.

“I’m looking forward to it. I think it’s going to be fun, and I think it’s going to be successful,” she said. “I like the history. I think it’s a great building.”

For more information, find Belle River Winery on Facebook or call (586) 808-2696.

Contact Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Couple shifts focus for new winery tasting room to former Port Huron deli spot