Solvino to open its doors in the town of Windermere

Keene’s Pointe residents Arjun Kumar and his wife, Sara, always have been big wine people.

They wanted to take their love of wine from the dining room table with friends and put their passion toward a wine bar where local residents can find community and learn more about wine. 

The Kumars decided to open Solvino in the town of Windermere. 

“It’s a space where like-minded people can come together, share stories, share a glass of wine and still have great food and a good overall experience,” Kumar said. 

Solvino, which will be located at 527 Main St., is part of the Downtown Windermere Redevelopment Project and is expected to open in August or September. 

Kumar said originally, the Downtown Windermere Redevelopment Project included three food offerings and Solvino as a wine bar. But after one of the businesses pulled out of the project, it gave others an opportunity to expand services, including Solvino. 

“Originally, the concept was we would be the pre-dinner spot to drop into before you go out somewhere or go somewhere else,” Kumar said. “We were actually able to double our footprint and expand our concept.”

Initially, Solvino was planned to be a wine bar with a boutique vibe customers wouldn’t get “in any big city around the world,” Kumar said. However, to serve alcohol in the town of Windermere, the Town Council must approve a conditional-use permit, but council denied the permit for Solvino.

After the redevelopment project changed because of a business leaving, Solvino went back to the drawing board. With the expanded capacity, Kumar said he was able to turn Solvino into a wine bar and restaurant, and they addressed all the concerns that were brought up when Solvino was applying for a conditional-use permit. As a restaurant, Solvino would not need this permit to serve alcohol. 

“We always wanted to be a restaurant; it was just we were limited based on this development,” Kumar said. “(The landlord) was very good at helping us make sure we can meet all the Department of Health requirements in terms of wastewater usage and allowed us to amend our lease to add our commercial kitchen. We’ve been able to pivot to do what we really wanted and have a full restaurant offering within the wine bar.”

Kumar said Solvino was designed specifically for the space at 527 Main St. in the heart of the town. 

“It’s not a chain,” he said. “It’s not something that was developed outside and then we said, ‘Oh, here’s a great location.’ It was literally built once this development sort of came to light.’”

To ensure Solvino is community driven and focused on the residents of the town of Windermere and the greater Windermere area, Solvino will be a private members club. 

Kumar said he wants Solvino to be a “home away from home” for people. He said memberships are selling out faster than anticipated, and people from all walks of life have applied. Solvino prioritizes residents from the town of Windermere and the surrounding communities. Kumar said several town residents already are members.  

In addition to the restaurant, Solvino will have a retail store open to the public that will have various events and tastings and a gourmet goods section. 

Solvino has partnered with a Windermere-based chocolatier,  Maison Des Rêves, which sells online. The retail store will be her first opportunity to have a brick-and-mortar presence.

Solvino also plans to partner with another local business that is a sourdough bakery. 

“We’re passionate about giving a platform for local, small businesses almost like the weekly farmers market in a way but then create more of a regular staple opportunity for some of these small vendors,” Kumar said. 

Kumar said Solvino needs the final fire sign-off from the county before it can receive the certificate of occupancy and start its build out. 

“We’re most excited to put our money where our mouth is, in terms of showing how we can be a good, productive, positive member of the community,” Kumar said. “We see this as a place where we can spend time with our neighbors and have those interactions and a nice place to visit on a regular basis.”