Tim Ortiz plans downtown GF wine/liquor shop where Hometown Cigar was

By Cathy DeDe, Chronicle Managing Editor

Tim Ortiz plans to open Glens Falls Liquor, a wine and liquor store, in half of the storefront previously occupied by Hometown Cigar Shop at 280 Glen Street, downtown Glens Falls.

Mr. Ortiz, a 2013 Queensbury grad and full time acoustic musician playing at restaurants, bars and functions, plans to run the store. His wife Rachel Ortiz, a personal trainer who owns Kind Cycling Studio in the Grey Ghost Bike Shop on Lawrence Street, said she will help.

Pending a liquor license, they hope to open in early September, “but anytime in September, I’ll be happy,” Mr. Ortiz says.

“A couple of years ago I came up with the idea that I wanted to start a business in downtown Glens Falls,” he said.

“I wanted it to be not something that I was just into myself personally, but that the city was missing. And that’s where we came up with a liquor store.

“We’ve lived down here forever,” Mr. Ortiz said. “This was something we experienced just being here,” citing an abundance, in contrast, of restaurants, coffee shops and pizza places.

“It’s not one of those big giant places,” Mr. Ortiz says of the storefront.

“There’s going to be wine and liquor, some locally made, New York made stuff, some organic options.

“The idea is not to have a million options with obscure variations, and not to have cheap stuff, no mini bottles,” Rachel said.

They said they’ll likely hire two people.

Rachel notes that she’s a certified bartender with bar management experience.

“We’ve been looking for places ever since I came up with this idea,” Mr. Ortiz says. “We tried a few places but it just wasn’t the right fit. This feels like it is.”

They’re ready with display shelving to install, signs, point of sale system and storage. “The build-out will go fast,” Mr. Ortiz says.

“It’s a void that’s being filled. And, if there’s any kind of recession or depression or pandemic again, it’s the kind of a business that’s stable,” something that wasn’t the case for a musician, or a personal trainer during Covid, they note.
“The opposite,” Tim says.

Mr. Ortiz also notes, “I’m a black belt in jujitsu. I did MMA for a long time. I am a father, husband, family man.”

He said he’s funding the store from his investments in gold mining stocks.

“I actually didn’t get any loan for this at all. I just don’t want to owe anybody anything.”

The Ortizes said they signed a three-year lease, “to start.” Developer Chris Patten owns the building. Arrangements were through Realize Brokers.

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