Family Turning Abandoned Rankin Church Into Wine Lounge
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RANKIN, Pa. (KDKA) – A group of people are turning a former catholic church into a wine lounge.
Renovations are underway at a site in Rankin.
Jordan Stasinowsky moved to Pittsburgh from Sacramento a few years ago because he had a vision.
"Pittsburgh has a need for wine so let's find a way to fill that," said Stasinowsky.
He had a vision to recreate an abandoned church in Rankin into something the community can enjoy. Once known as Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the church was built in 1903 and was abandoned around eight years ago.
Three-hundred people used to fill the pews during worship while listening to the choir, but soon they'll be able to listen to smooth jazz while having a glass of Pinot Noir.
Jordan thought it would be a great idea to recreate the church into a restaurant and wine lounge that will be called Mary's Vine. His family liked his idea, got on board, and moved across the country to make that dream a reality.
"When we started this, it was an opportunity for my husband and I to give our children everything about us," said Cheryl Stasinowsky.
Cheryl Stasinowsky is the president and CEO and Jordan's mom. Her daughter and son-in-law are also co-owners of the future business.
"We all work on it together. We work on it nights and weekends, we pound nails and we frame and we design and we problem solve and we deal with every issue we have, all together as a family," said Cheryl Stasinowsky.
The family hopes to open the business in mid- to late-April.
"Anywhere you see here, the exposed brick, this all just occurred naturally," said Jordan Stasinowsky.
They plan on keeping it this way.
"Up here we have the upstairs part of our cellar. It will be filled with wine racking," said Jordan Stasinowsky.
That's not all. There are dumbwaiters, tasting areas built out of the pew room and food that will be paired with it.
Most of all, the family hopes Mary's Vine will give people that sense of community that they had when attending church here years ago.
"That's what this place has always been. A place where people gather and have fellowship and that's what we want it to be as well," said Cheryl Stasinowsky.