Lafayette sisters bringing coffee, wine to one location on Main Street downtown

LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Coffee and wine lovers are uniting in Lafayette with the merge of Réveille coffee shop and The Cellar Wine Bistro — now both located at 1001 Main St.

Before uniting into one, Réveille was located at 835 Main St. and was only open during daytime hours; closing at 3 p.m. The Cellar Wine Bistro was open from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m.

“We decided to merge the coffee and wine shops just because it made sense and was more economical,” co-owner Michelle Wise said. “With one storefront open during daytime hours and another during evening hours, we had talked about cross-promoting for a while. We just felt that now was the right time to move forward with that decision.”

Now, visitors can enjoy a cup of coffee or a glass of wine in the same spot. Not only that, but the business serves as a retail shop which means shoppers can buy bottles of wine and/or coffee beans to take home with them.

“That is one thing we are really trying to convey with this move,” Wise said. “We have a carry out license, which allows us to send the wine home with people — not just serve it. So, people can come in, look at a bottle, ask questions and take it home with them.”

The shop is co-owned and operated by Michelle Wise and her sister Marla Milner. Together, the two businesswomen have created elegant and cozy spaces for approximately eight years in downtown Lafayette.

The Cellar Wine Bistro came first in 2015 and was originally located at 422 Main St. before Wise and Milner relocated to the current storefront. The sisters opened Réveille in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic after Fuel Coffee Shop moved to South 16 Street and they discovered there was a strong desire for more coffee shops in the downtown Lafayette area, Wise said.

Réveille exclusively serves products from Tinker Coffee Roastery based in Indianapolis.

“We really love their company. They are young and energetic and I cannot say enough good things about working with them,” Wise said. “Not only are that, but they put out a great product.”

In addition to the coffee, Réveille will now be able to offer more “savory” food items as opposed to just small pastries offered at the previous location. Now, with a full kitchen in the back, guests can enjoy breakfast and lunch items while working, studying or simply relaxing at the shop, she said.

Lunch items are offered from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and that same menu carries over into the wine bar at night, Wise said.

The idea for The Cellar Wine Bistro was always a goal for the two sisters. With Michelle spending approximately eight years in Santa Barbara, California and Marla frequently visiting wineries in Michigan—the two always knew a co-owned shop was a goal for them.

“The wine bar concept is hard sometimes for people to grasp. It comes with a small food menu; tapas-style or small bites that you are supposed to have with wine,” Wise said. “People have come in and said ‘where is the full menu?’ But slowly, people are catching on to it.”

The experience of a wine bar is not supposed to be centered around the food, per se, but the wine being offered. That’s not to say The Cellar Wine Bistro lacks a solid food menu. Michelle’s son who attended culinary school in Santa Barbara, California, is in charge of the kitchen and has created a menu they are proud of, Wise said.

“Our food menu may be small, but it is all made right here from fresh ingredients and produce that we locally source,” she said. “There is typically something from everyone as we offer options for dietary restrictions such as vegetarian, gluten free and dairy free.”

Guests can pair their food with a variety of imported wines from all over the world. The sisters feature “Old World” wines and “New World” wines, Wise explained.

Old World wines are those primarily from European countries and some Middle Eastern countries such as Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. New World wines come from regions that have adopted wine-making practices from Old World regions such as North and South America, Australia and South Africa, she said.

On Wednesdays, guests can enjoy discounted $6 glasses of wine at the storefront. Each week, the sisters choose five different wines to feature as part of their Wine Wednesday program.

“The program has really taken off and attracts a certain crowd of people who are curious about wine and what we offer, but who also like a good value,” Wise said.

In addition to already existing events, the sisters are looking to do more private events now that Réveille and The Cellar Wine Bistro share the same space. Previously, events had to be much smaller, but they feel that the current storefront allows more room for larger groups.

The bar will be closed on certain nights of the week so people can book private holiday parties and other gatherings for the 21+ crowd, Wise said.

“My hope is that people learn that we are much more than just a wine or coffee shop,” she said. “We study a lot and have gained so much knowledge about wine, coffee and the industries. If anyone has questions or is just getting interested, we are the ones to come to with that.”

The next major event planned at the storefront will be around Thanksgiving when the sisters host a “holiday tasting” where customers can come in and taste test anywhere from 10 to 12 wines.

“We have done this every year and it’s always a big hit,” Wise said. “People can decide which wines they want to have at their holiday parties, or which bottles they might buy to give as gifts.”

The sisters also plan to resume their “Wine 101” classes, which paused due to the Covid-19 pandemic, where people can get together and learn about wine in a non-intimidating way.

Wise said that growing up, she and Marla got along great and never had any cross words. Now, they continue to get along but the business has also opened up a new communication style where neither of them are “afraid of holding back,” she said, laughing.

“We have our separate specialties and that is another benefit for customers,” she said. “We both work here and take our even number of shifts running the bar. There is always someone present in the store with knowledge and experience in anything a customer might need.”

The sisters are looking for a couple more “unique” employees who can “do both,” she said. Someone with barista skills, who also wants to do wine.

“Sure, it is a coffee shop during the day, but if someone wants to come in and have a glass of wine at noon with their lunch, we can absolutely do that,” she said. “We just need one or two more people who are wanting to take this opportunity and learn these skills that can be taken with them wherever they go.”

Wine and coffee lovers can learn more about upcoming events and find contact information by visiting The Cellar Wine Bistro webpage.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Lafayette sisters bringing coffee, wine to one location on Main Street