Bar, Coffee, and Bottle Shop at Vendome Wine & Spirits in Arcadia
By Jeff Musial
It is my pleasure to be invited by the Downtown Arcadia Improvement Association to guest write an article about my business, Vendome Wine & Spirits, located across the street from the Arcadia Metro Gold Line Station.
My name is Jeff Musial and I teamed up with Charles Tran to launch Vendome Arcadia. Charles and his siblings own the Vendome Wine & Spirits stores throughout Southern California. I came on board with a background in entertainment and alcohol distribution where I previously worked with new and renovating bars and restaurants. Now I’ve teamed with Charles on launching Vendome Arcadia with a big focus on the bar side of the business. Together, with amazing support and encouragement from the city, we were able to envision and then realize an establishment that serves equally as both an inviting hangout and retail shop. The retail side of the business is consistent with the Vendome heritage of quality and selection. The bar side of the business is cozy, warm, and inviting; a place you want to spend time hanging out in.
We offer 8 wines “by-the-glass” including reds, whites and rosé. We also have a 12 faucet draft cooler, with 10 craft beers, including a dedicated “sour” faucet, a dedicated “nitro” faucet, a cider and cold brew coffee. Our beers range from classic to super geeky, so between that and our wine selection we really have something for everybody. We offer a couple food options and regularly host tasting events every week. I am currently in the process of building a sound system and booking live entertainment which I expect to launch in the immediate future. After that my focus will be on lining up the occasional food truck, at which point I think we will finally be a “fully operational battle-station.”
The most unique aspect of our bar is our coffee program (being that we are an alcohol establishment). What literally started as me wanting to offer coffee to the occasional bar-goer exploded into a full-blown “Third Wave” coffee experience complete with pour-over and French press brewed coffee and classic espresso drinks. We use Los Angeles based Forge Coffee Roasters for all our coffee needs and premium Straus Dairy milks, Oatly oat milk, and Califia Farms almond milk for non-dairy drinkers (which includes me). The Oatly has exploded in popularity. It’s amazing. We also have limited breakfast items like biscotti and oatmeal, and my personal recipe protein shakes which are great post workout or even as a meal replacer.
We have been open less than one year and the overall response has been phenomenal. People love what we’re doing here and we have quickly built up a following in that very short amount of time. We are members of the Chamber of Commerce and I have been getting more and more involved with the Downtown Arcadia Improvement Association. We’re consistently involved in both organizations’ events throughout the year. It has all been very rewarding. I’m excited to see Vendome grow with the community.