Next Friday and Saturday, Bob will be out of town… and when the boss is away, the employees will play!
We’re going to have some great deals on “special offerings” wine on Friday and Saturday (August 10-11) from Noon to 10 PM. Watch our Facebook page for more details!
In case you couldn’t attend, here is the speech that Bob (Maile) gave before the City Council:
“I appreciate the members of City Council allowing me to speak. I have been in Madison over 20 years now trying to contribute to this city in various capacities, my most recent being Rembrandt’s Gallery & Wine Bar. My purpose here is to strongly encourage the creation of the special Riverfront 3-way liquor licenses by establishing a Riverfront Development District. Downtown Madison desperately needs to take advantage of the development opportunity that this district provides.
“In the late 1990’s, Markt Lytle, a former mayor and state representative, introduced legislation for the special Riverfront license specifically with downtown Madison in mind. He recognized the potential for downtown development that this offered. Since then, 34 cities in Indiana have taken advantage of this legislation. (I didn’t know some of these cities even had a river!) These cities recognized, as did Lytle, that no matter what a city has to offer as attractions, when visitors come they want to eat, drink, and shop. And the better the quality of restaurants and shops, the more quality people will come, both to spend money and to live here.
“I am constantly hearing about what other projects Madison needs to attract more visitors. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a Historic District here that rivals any city in the country! We just need to let the rest of the world know that we exist and that we have the amenities that they expect when they do come.
“The Riverfront license will in no way diminish the existing 3-way licenses. In fact, it will make them more valuable. As you are aware, the district can only be located a certain number of feet from the river. The city has complete control over the requirements, the number of licenses available, and basically what kind of place gets a license. The existing licenses have none of these restrictions and can locate anywhere in the city.
“To create our Riverfront District, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There are 34 other cities that have done the research for their own Riverfront District that you can draw from and enact quickly. We have compiled extensive research on what other cities have done, and I am offering my assistance to the committee. I believe I could give valuable insight and help expedite the process.
“Downtown Madison needs meaningful development now. That why we have so many empty shops on Main Street and why we can’t even hold on to a grocery store. And if something doesn’t happen soon, I will be the next casualty.
“For the most part, people like me from out of town don’t come here to make money. We come here to be a part of this amazingly special place, and we want to be a part of its success. But there aren’t enough people with money visiting or living here yet to sustain it. Rembrandt’s was created to be the kind of place you would want in a Riverfront District – a place that showcases the history, culture, architecture, and character that makes Madison special. Rembrandt’s must be doing something right based on the 500 residents and visitors that signed our petition of support. Here are the names of some of the more well-known people. [hands out a list of some of the petition signers]
“But I can’t do this without some help. I am the only restaurant or bar in the county that can only sell wine, and there simply aren’t enough people living here or visiting here that only want to drink wine. That’s why I can’t open more than three nights a week, and you can’t sustain a business when you’re only open 15 hours a week. I am willing to work for free, but I’m not willing to go broke. This district is the quickest way to kick-start the economy of Downtown Madison and will surely attract future residents and business that will enhance the quality of life of the entire community. Thank you.”
Now we wait!
Just a quick note to ask: have you visited our online shop yet? It features original fine art and crafts from our Artisans Gallery.
We’re adding new gallery pieces every week, so if you don’t find something you want right now, check back later!
Due to the precious nature of the art, it must be picked up at Rembrandt’s. You can pay for it online, and we’ll have it ready for you when you get here.
So what are you waiting for? Click here or on “Shop” at the top of the page to see what we have to offer.
We’re completely overwhelmed by the support that our customers have given us this week.
If you haven’t read about our petition to get a Rivertown 3-way license, please click here.
We still have a long way to go. The next step will be to take the signatures (right now, at 10:19 AM on June 2nd, we have 523 of them) to the City of Madison.
It’s this Tuesday, June 5th at 5:30 PM, in City Hall (101 W. Main St.).
Again, we can’t begin to thank you enough for your support. Yes, it’s a little clichéd, but we really do have the very best customers we could possibly have.
First, thank you so much for your patronage. We wouldn’t be in business without customers like you.
With the changing environment of the downtown Madison businesses, we have to do SOMETHING FAST to continue to operate, let alone grow.
Obtaining a 3-way liquor license is the only way for Rembrandt’s to continue to survive.
The City of Madison has the power to allow businesses within a certain distance from the river to have what is called a “Riverfront liquor license”. You may be aware that there are only a set number of liquor licenses in a county at any given time… but that doesn’t affect a Riverfront license. If the city council agrees, they can grant this special license.
We’ve put together a petition to take to the City of Madison. All we need is for YOU to come into Rembrandt’s and sign it. We need all the signatures we can get so the city will know that you are serious about keeping Rembrandt’s open. (If you can’t make it in, you can sign the online version here.)
Here’s a copy of the petition:
We, the undersigned, request that Rembrandt’s Gallery & Wine Bar be granted a 3-way Riverfront liquor license. Rembrandt’s is an important addition to the Madison community, providing a unique upscale experience for Madison residents as well as being a highly recommended destination for visitors. It provides jobs and tax revenue to the Madison community and attracts new people to the area.
Rembrandt’s is currently the only retail restaurant serving alcohol in Jefferson County that can only serve wine. To meet the ever-increasing competition, we believe that its very survival is dependent on procuring the Riverfront license. This will allow the business to continue to be a significant benefit to the City of Madison, its residents, and out-of-town visitors.
You can visit us any time from Noon to 10:00 PM on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday to sign the petition. Better yet, come in and enjoy our wood-fired pizza, gourmet hamburgers, or prime ribeye steak (Friday and Saturday) and sign the petition while you’re here!
Thank you in advance for your help and continued patronage to Rembrandt’s. We very much appreciate your support.
Rembrandt’s Gallery & Wine Bar is proud to announce the newest artisan in our Artisans Gallery: John Marchello.
John creates fine jewelry from silverware. In the gallery, we have silver-plated dinner fork and vintage soup spoon bracelets and rings made from vintage teaspoon handles. Prices range from $19.99 to $39.99.
Some of the teaspoon rings by John in the Artisans Gallery
He also does custom pieces; just email him at marchelloart@yahoo.com.
A few of John’s silver fork bracelets in the Artisans Gallery
In his own words:
I have been a silverware artist since 2009. The entire process began when my dad opened up a napkin at an Ann Arbor restaurant and found his fork was bent out of shape. He imagined that he could intentionally bend a fork to create something unique. The process has evolved a lot since then. When I was in college, I picked up the trade as I found it enticing.
My inspiration comes from creating products that are completely re-imagined. Today, we live in a world where most things are made to be disposable and this is having a very negative impact on the Earth. I hope to awaken everyone to this reality and help us rethink how we made and use products throughout the world. All of my products are completely recycled, and every point of production is tuned so that my products are made in the most environmentally and socially responsible manner possible. I hope to inspire all to change their habits with disposable products and consider the entire life cycle of the products they use.
My other mission as an artist is to reveal to others the beauty that can be found in objects many consider outdated or trash. I accomplish this by redesigned old objects into something completely new, that still resembles its previous life.
I created my own tools which allow me to bend silverware very consistently and without damaging the silverware. I am constantly redesigning the tooling to allow for new and more complex bends.
A selection of soup spoon bracelets by John Marchello in the Artisans Gallery
Saturday night at Rembrandt’s is Steak Night! We’re serving huge, PRIME CUT ribeye steak fire-grilled to order.
Our steak dinner includes a 14 oz. steak of your choice with a baked potato/sweet potato, house side salad, and dessert. You get the whole dinner for only $29.95.
Reservations aren’t required, but they are strongly encouraged because these dinners are so popular!
And you’ve obviously found it.
Look around, we have a ton of new things to see – a blog, a shop, and more!
Blog
Our blog will feature the latest news about Rembrandt’s including events and special food or wine offerings. In addition to that, we’ll be posting articles about wine and wine-making, art, woodworking, and more. We see it as a way to connect to all of you!
Events Calendar
Our Events tab will show a calendar of all of our interesting events at Rembrandt’s, so it will be easy to keep up!
Shop
Our online store features select pieces from our Artisans Gallery. These are available for purchase online but have to be picked up at Rembrandt’s. We’ll be adding new pieces to the online shop over time.
We are now also proud to be an Amazon affiliate! We’ll be listing some of our favorite Amazon products that we use here at the wine bar and Madison Table Works to share with you. Our online shop is fully functional, so you can order them directly from this site (with the security and customer service of Amazon Fulfillment). These products can be shipped around the world!
Thank you for supporting Rembrandt’s!