Muskegon winery’s popularity spurs owners to increase floor space

By: Deborah Johnson Wood

It’s only been two years since Clay Avenue Cellars began in a 300-square-foot space. But already the winery’s popularity spurred owners Bob Rajewski and Garret Anguilm to construct a 1,200-square-foot basement addition last winter to serve additional clientele.

“We make semi sweet fruit wines, just above dry,” says Anguilm. “We buy fruit from local growers from Shelby to Holland to Coopersville. We buy the fruit in season, and start making wine with the capacity we have. The rest we freeze until we have space to make it into wine.”

The Cellars makes 19 different varieties, such as sweet cherry, tart cherry, plum, blueberry, cranberry and wines from grapes. They also make combos, like their Black and Blue, which is blackberry and blueberry.

“I started making wine as a hobby in 1979,” Anguilm says. “Bob started making wine about 15 years ago and we became good friends because his girlfriend, Brenda, and my wife used to work together.”

Rajewski’s girlfriend, Brenda Moore, saved the building from demolition—a 1920s gas station she moved to 611 Clay Avenue in 2004. Moore started an art gallery, Clay Avenue Station, in 2005. The gallery is part of Clay Avenue Cellars. Patrons can browse the art offerings while shopping for wine or partaking in one of the monthly wine tastings.

“We have tastings the second Saturday of the month and we have all our varieties open for tasting,” Anguilm says. “We’ve had as many as 500 to 600 people through here in six hours.”

Store hours are Tuesday through Friday, 11 to 5:30, Saturdays from noon to five, except on tasting Saturdays when the store closes at 6.

Source: Garret Anguilm, Clay Avenue Cellars

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].