Renaissance Man closing Wrigley cocktail lounge
Roughly four months after its ribbon cutting mid-summer, Renaissance Man is closing its cocktail lounge at the Wrigley Center.
The establishment announced the decision in a Facebook post late Monday afternoon, adding Tuesday was to be its last day open.
When reached by the Times Herald, Aaron Weideman, RenMan’s CEO, said he didn’t have much to add to the statement — only that, as a whiskey operation, they’re maintaining focus on their business in selling their original patent-pending barrel, while searching for space elsewhere.
“So, with the closing of the Port Huron location, we are looking to pivot toward relocating a production facility for the barrels and potentially another distillery and lounge in Detroit,” Weideman said, “and we will just be directing the majority of our sales, hopefully, in selling barrels to other distilleries.”
Weideman co-founded Renaissance Man Co. with John Fitzgerald, their chief operating officer, working on the space at the Wrigley Center’s northeast corner since late 2022.
The duo — with the support of family in more ways than one — had emphasized their study of the history of American whiskey and touted the distilling method they believed made better-tasting whiskey in a matter of weeks.
Weideman said they were still selling what was left of their first batch online and were readying to sell a second. After looking to “establish brand equity and proof of concept” at the Port Huron site, he said they wanted to move forward to “pull the trigger and focus entirely on selling the invention.”
The cocktail lounge itself featured a 1920s prohibition theme, offered a menu with a variety of specialty crafted drinks, and hosted a series of events on-site, ranging from old-school movie nights to Dungeons and Dragons sessions.
Their Facebook post last Monday reported their plans to offer 50% off private game night tickets, allowing entry and one cocktail, the following night.
RenMan Whiskey’s exit marks the second departure for the Wrigley development since Doña Marinas left an eatery spot in Wrigley Hall, which operates multiple bars and venues in the center. They’ve since been replaced by No Forks Given.
Developer Larry Jones, who spearheaded the redevelopment of the former Art Van building at 318 Grand River Ave. in downtown Port Huron, said Monday he’d only learned about RenMan’s news earlier that afternoon.
With more than a decade of reshaping downtown and facilitating businesses, Jones said the growing pains at the Wrigley could be similar to that of Port Huron’s central business district over time — the Cajun Gator restaurant, for example, closed in 2014, while Everything Classic Antiques remains. He doesn't consider RenMan’s departure an impassible setback.
“The Wrigley Center, this was a dream. We put 36 (loft) tenants in there,” he said, also referencing all the businesses still at it in commercial spaces. “… RenMan had a dream and went in, and it’s obvious that they did not have the financial backing to withstand the first year or two to be able to build a business. Like everything else, people are going to come and go until we are able to find those people that are going to plant their feet.”
“The reason we did the Wrigley Center is to be able to draw more people into the community that are going to be able to make those small businesses successful,” Jones said. “And I do not feel that we’re wrong with that. It’s just going to be finding those right businesses.”
Contact Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Renaissance Man closing Wrigley cocktail lounge
