Customers, employees reminisce as Galena Cellars’ tasting room closes its doors

North Aurora resident Sid Pearce is going to miss sitting on Galena Cellars’ patio in Geneva while listening to live music.

“It was fun to be outside having a glass of wine,” Pearce said, as she reminisced about the tasting room, which closed its doors Monday. “The people were extraordinary. They were very pleasant and sweet.”

The tasting room, which was located on Third Street in the heart of the city’s downtown, had first opened in 2004.

“The impact of the pandemic was felt especially hard at our Geneva location,” stated a post from the Lawlor-White family on Galena Cellars’ Facebook page in announcing the store’s closure. Galena Cellars was founded by Christine Lawlor-White; her brother, Scott Lawlor; and their parents, Robert and Joyce Lawlor.

With the closing of the tasting room, the family plans to concentrate on Galena Cellars’ two locations in Galena.

“In 2022, we are excited to be rolling out new events and experiences for our members and patrons,” the post states. “We have new wines aging in the cellar, getting ready to be released throughout the year, and we truly cannot wait to share them with you. We also look forward to sharing updates with you as we begin the process of building a new production facility at our Vineyard, expanding our opportunity to make high-quality Illinois wines.”

Ellen Schlaman is sad about having to say goodbye to the tasting room. She was the manager of the tasting room when it first opened and worked there for 16 1/2 years.

She is currently the design manager at Galena Cellars in Galena and works on displays and merchandising.

“Our customers have been amazing,” Schlaman said. “We’ve made some really nice friends and great relationships.”

Galena Cellars has had a long and fruitful relationship with Geneva.

“Before we opened the store, we were at The Little Traveler right across from the store,” Schlaman said. “We had our product there.”

She has seen plenty of customers come in the store in the last two weeks to say their last goodbyes.

“Every day, there had been people coming in to say their goodbyes and have their last glass of wine or share a bottle with a friend,” Schlaman said.

Employee Allina Rosas liked the fact she was able to walk to work. She lives on 4th Street in downtown Geneva.

She also enjoyed being able to hang out with her fellow employees.

“On Sundays, we would close a little early and all of us would bond and hang out after work,” Rosas said.

In addition, she liked interacting with other community members.

“I think my favorite part was the community aspect of working here,” Rosas said. “It’s very laid back. Even when it’s crazy busy, you’re still having fun. We’re all just hanging out and pouring wine. Everybody’s happy.”