By Mike Matthew
Special to The Laker / Lutz News
Norma Ruckey walked into Jan’s Wine & Boos II and knew without a doubt that she wanted to purchase it. It was a combination of package store and bar. Her son TJ has been tending bar since he turned 18 and her daughter Kristen was a liquor store manager for eight years. It would be a perfect fit. “I liked the idea of a neighborhood bar, like Cheers,” says Norma. “What I found was a friendly familiar atmosphere where everyone seemed to know each other. It was more of a wine bar then. Now it’s a full-service bar.”
Together they purchased the bar in July 2014. “It was quite a process going through all the licensing issues,” says Norma. “We needed a license for the bar, the package store, for food, and even a music license.”
The first thing they did was renovate and redecorate. The wine was moved from the bar area to the package side of the store which opened up the lounge area to create a real neighborhood bar feeling.
Existing customers are happy with the changes. “We’ve been receiving a lot of great comments,” says Norma. “We really want to know what our customers are thinking. We want to create a place where they can come to relax and enjoy themselves.”
Jan’s is open until 10 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and until midnight on Friday and Saturday. There is live music from local bands on Friday night and karaoke on Saturday. They have wine samplings a couple of times each month and are working with vendors to establish a regular wine tasting schedule.
Cheese trays can be ordered at the bar. “We have your basic cheese/meat/cracker platters or you can upgrade to the much larger gourmet tray,” says Norma. “We don’t want to get into food service. Instead customers can order food from local restaurants and either pick it up or have it delivered right to the bar.” Customers can also order a bottle of wine from the package side of the store to enjoy with their meal.
The package store offers a large selection of top-of-the-line wines both domestic and European, as well as liquors and beers. With the increased interest, they are building up their selection of local craft beers. “We have a much larger selection of craft beers than the previous owners,” says TJ. “Supporting local brewers is another way to build a neighborhood bar. We want this to be a real family establishment where everyone knows each other.”
Customers can place orders for the products they don’t currently stock. Special orders are not a problem.
In additional to live music and karaoke, Jan’s Wine & Boos II, located in the Lutz Lake Crossing Plaza on the corner of N. Dale Mabry Hwy and Lutz Lake Fern Road, offers three TV’s covering sporting events and monthly theme parties. They’ve already had a couple of birthday parties and are looking to handle more of these types of events for the over-21 crowd. They can comfortably seat up to 40 guests.
Visit their website JansWineandBoos.com or like them on facebook to see the latest events and specials.
