The Fishtown Neighbors Association held a zoning committee meeting on Tuesday, April 19, over Zoom for the new proposed location of Mural City Cellars, the city’s only independently owned urban winery, on 1831 Frankford Ave.
The meeting, which was hosted by FNA chairman Will Dungan and attended by community members, featured a presentation from Francesca Galarus and Nick Ducos, the owners of Mural City, that included potential renderings of the indoor space and other features. Questions from the community were also addressed.
Originally based on Amber Street, Ducos said the new proposed location on Frankford will provide over three times the space they originally had and will also give them a greater amount of visibility. While it will mainly be used for retail and wine production, which takes place only three months out of the year, the spot will also feature a bar and a sitdown area for patrons. Small food dishes, such as meat and cheese boards and tomato pie, will be offered.
Galarus and Ducos also said that they plan on adding a pair of wheelchair-accessible ramps on the corner of Frankford and Berks and multiple bike racks to the building. Trash and recycling will be handled privately on a weekly basis, and to that end, the pair said they will be doing whatever they can to improve the surrounding area.
“We want to make sure that we’re going to take advantage of any programs through the BID, the FNA or the city to help beautify the corner and just help make the neighborhood a lot better, nicer and just beautiful in general,” Ducos said.
Should the plan be approved, the expectation is that the new location will open for business by early fall. The hours of operation are anticipated to be 4 to 11 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, noon to 11 p.m. on Saturdays and noon to 10 p.m. on Sundays.
