A Walker's Point wine bar has closed temporarily after someone crashed a car into it

A Walker's Point bottle shop and wine bar is closed until further notice after someone drove a car through the storefront's windows early Saturday.

Thelma Carol Wine Merchants, 605 W. Virginia St., was covered in glass and other debris after the crash, which destroyed thousands of dollars worth of wine bottles and other inventory, said co-owner Rebecca Button.

"We're now in hour 14 of cleaning for today so it’s been quite a long day," Button said when reached by phone Saturday evening. "We're going to have to restore ourselves."

The car was still inside the store when the owners and authorities arrived shortly after the crash, abandoned by its driver, Button said. It had smashed through the glass panels on the north side of the store. The store was closed at the time of the crash.

The Milwaukee Police Department is investigating the crash and still was seeking an unknown suspect on Monday, according to an email from the department. No injuries have been reported to police.

Thelma Carol Wine Merchants opened last year and is located in Walker's Point, off a roundabout that is surrounded by other bars and restaurants, including Conejito's Place, Great Lakes Distillery and MobCraft Beer.

“We see reckless driving constantly," Button said. "We have definitely seen accidents in that roundabout before but nothing of this caliber."

The Walker's Point Association will be discussing traffic calming measures and reckless driving at its next community gathering from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 31 at The George, 429 W. National Ave., according to the association's president.

"It’s a terrible accident that happened. It’s such a beautiful space in our neighborhood," said Carly Hauser, president of the Walker's Point Association. "Speeding and reckless driving is an issue in Walker's Point just like it is in Milwaukee and most other cities. It's something that's talked about a lot at our community gatherings."

Much of the damage was to the Italian wine section of the store, where many of the pricier and more precious wines were, Button said. Several items of unique and "irreplaceable" furniture that Button had spent months picking out and procuring were also damaged or destroyed, she said.

Button said the building is stable and there was not too much structural damage. She and husband and co-owner Jerel Hall hope to reopen the store in a matter of weeks.

"We are absolutely 100% confident we will be able to reopen," she said.

Button and Hall were at home on the city's east side when they were alerted that something was wrong by the shop's security system around 2 a.m. Saturday, Button said. She said they "shot out of bed" and got to the store as quickly as possible.

"We are completely in shock and don’t have words to express our anger and grief," the owners wrote in a post on Thelma Carol Wine Merchants' Facebook page Saturday morning.

Within hours, Button and Hall received an outpouring of support from the surrounding community and from patrons.

"Our Walker’s Point community has been so supportive and so wonderful," she told the Journal Sentinel.

Button and Hall realized their dream last year when they opened Thelma Carol Wine Merchants, named after one of each of their grandmothers. The bottle shop and wine bar also sells spirits, beer, cigars and pipe tobacco.

Hall had worked in the wine business for years and Button had a background in hospitality working in restaurants, she said. But they had long wanted to run their own business.

"This is a huge portion of our livelihood. It is everything to us," Button said.

This story has been updated with a correction to the spelling of Jerel Hall's name.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Thelma Carol wine bar in Walker's Point closes after car hits store