Licensing is still in the works, but Kristin and Tim Halvorson of Halvorson's Upstreet Café and Marinell Newton plan to open a wine store on Upper Church Street, in the space that used to house North Country Books.

No corks will be popped until the City of Burlington and State of Vermont shell out the permits, of course. Meanwhile, Tim says he expects the business to occupy only a portion of the available space. "There are neat little nooks that lend themselves to displaying and storing wine," he enthuses about the subterranean spot. "We hope to generate most of the business online to begin with, and have very limited retail hours." By fall, though, he plans to be going "full speed."