Mitch Einhorn remembers when President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on European wine. It was 2019, and the 25% tariffs were a shock to businesses and consumers.
Now, he’s worried about tariffs again.
“Tariffs are a huge, huge issue,” Einhorn, 62, said. “It’s a direct inflationary spiral. It impacts so many industries.”
Einhorn and his brother, Cliff, own Lush Wine & Spirits in Roscoe Village and West Town. They’ve operated the business since 2005 and slogged through store openings and closings, the pandemic and spiking inflation.
The business can be described as a curated wine shop with a restaurant or a cozy bistro where you can also buy wine.
Lush combines friendly, educational service at its shop with bites like a duck confit sandwich, made-to-order charcuterie and a slice of Basque cheesecake.
“We like to expose people to varietals and regions they may be unaware of,” Mitch Einhorn said. He encourages wine newbies to never feel intimidated. “They should come in anyway because we’ll teach them.”
Customers can buy a bottle from the store and uncork it with their meal — or test out a wine in the restaurant one glass at a time, later deciding whether to buy a bottle to take home.
The business has had a few ups and downs, including during the Great Recession that started December 2007, and the pandemic, which hobbled restaurants nationwide.
Its University Village store, which opened in 2005, closed in 2014. In 2023, it closed its Evanston location after operating it for three years.
But its Roscoe Village store, which opened in January 2007 at 2232 W. Roscoe St., and West Town location, which opened in 2009 at 1412 W. Chicago Ave., have become neighborhood staples. Total annual sales were more than $1 million last year.
Einhorn said he employs about 15 people, with most working 30 to 40 hours a week.
Staffing has been one of his biggest headaches coming out of the pandemic.
“Hiring people has become incredibly hard,” he said. “A lot of people got out of the hospitality industry, and I have no idea where they’ve gone.”
The expense of operating in Chicago is another area of stress.
The West Town store is under a lease, but Lush owns its Roscoe Village property. Einhorn said it’s “insane” that property taxes in Roscoe Village have more than doubled over the past 20 years. “I don’t know where the money’s going,” he said.
And even though Chicagoans love summer street festivals, it creates more competition for businesses as consumers opt to spend their money at festivals, he said.
His dream this year is to make progress on a planned renovation of the Roscoe Village location, which will combine four storefronts into one big wine shop and restaurant with a larger kitchen. The design is underway, and the next step will be getting a building permit and overseeing construction.
He’d also like to hire more people, such as cooks, and he’s planning new recipes “to keep it fresh and interesting.”
“We really are striving for sales to grow,” he said.
The economy has been improving over the past year, with inflation down, and Einhorn sees more people willing to spend money eating out or buying a nice bottle of wine.
“On the other hand, there’s a whole other segment of the population that’s thinking, ‘It’s a Tuesday. Can I afford a $30 bottle of wine?’” he said.
Also, with Trump’s tariff proposal on foreign products, Einhorn said it’s hard to plan.
“Some importers are thinking there may not be a tariff [on wine] this time … but nobody knows. Everyone’s just on pins and needles at this point,” he said. And unlike some businesses, Einhorn said he doesn’t have the resources to stockpile products.
He said running Lush still brings him joy, whether it’s sourcing wine from a village in France or obtaining artisanal ingredients. When a customer offers him thanks for a great meal or bottle of wine, “that makes it all worthwhile,” Einhorn said.
“I genuinely enjoy writing new recipes and talking to people about wine and talking to people about food.”