[title subtitle=”words: Marla Cantrell
images: courtesy Uncork’d “][/title]
On a Thursday just a day before Uncork’d in Fort Smith, Arkansas, opens to the public, Scott Clark is going over last-minute details, getting ready for a private event later in the evening. Already, there have been soft openings with rave reviews. What he’s heard most is that this upscale bar with an impressive selection of curated wines, craft beers, cocktails, and bourbons, seems like a venue from a much bigger city. Guests commented on the beauty of the place, with cozy seating, an atmosphere quiet enough for intimate conversation, and a tapas menu that includes at this writing small plates such as Uncork’d Shrimp, Braised Short Ribs, and a Charcuterie Board.
The idea to create this place came to Scott two years ago, as he was reading trade journals, tearing out articles that he shared with his employees. He and his wife Deborah also own Sodie’s Wine and Spirits, which is just a few yards from Uncork’d. They realized there was an untapped market for a bar so close to Sodie’s that it’s referred to as on-premise.
They also knew that customers loved trying wines before they bought them, and had installed an Enomatic wine dispenser from Italy at Sodie’s. Scott knew the machine would be a hit at Uncork’d where they would serve thirty-two eclectic wines available at any given time, keeping them in pristine condition inside the high-tech dispenser. Customers would buy a debit card they could keep and refill, and use it to sample the wines.
“The Enomatic allows a customer to try a two-hundred-dollar bottle of wine that they would never purchase because of the price,” Scott says. “Here they can try a one, three or six-ounce pour.”
From there the dream grew. Scott, who understands the importance of supporting other local businesses, worked with Michael Johnson of Architecture Plus, and interior designer, Sarah Stillman. Travis Beshears of Beshears Construction, Inc., helped find some amazing building products, and Woodco Furniture created the custom wooden furniture.
“I wouldn’t change a thing,” he says, talking about the outcome of Uncork’d and the collaboration he enjoyed working with these talented people.
Scott, according to his marketing manager, Sarah Brownfield, is a creative genius who envisioned Uncork’d as a place that’s elegant without being uppity. She worked for him at BHC Insurance, where he serves as executive vice president, for more than a decade. When she left to stay home with her newborn twin daughters, she kept in touch, and when he opened Sodie’s Wine and Spirits in 2015, she came on board.
As Sarah walks through the 4,750 square foot space, she talks about the floors (from Allison Flooring) that look as if they were rescued from an old farmhouse. She points to part of the ceiling that features repurposed pallets. On the ceiling above the bar, it looks as if there’s a wine barrel in place, complete with a cork.
Sarah stands in the main serving area and light pools around her. The light is another highlight at Uncork’d, where they purposely created a beautifully lit and welcoming atmosphere. It looks like the perfect place to have an intimate conversation if you wanted, or celebrate a birthday with your best friends, or meet a date at one of the tables for two. Farther away is the cigar room with its own ventilation system, a heated patio with fire pits, a meeting space that seats twenty, with all the technology you’d need, including a 110-inch PowerPoint screen. In the main area is also a dedicated space for live music.
Scott says the broad appeal for those twenty-one and older was part of the plan. “I think Uncork’d hits on every generation. There may be an eighty-something couple in here and a twenty-four-year-old group at another table. When they come in, we’ll find out whether they’re here to drink wine, sit on the patio, be by themselves, and then seat them. They may also be here to watch a ballgame on the big screens, which is why we invested in a great audio system.
“I’ve heard people say for years, ‘My wife and I want to go out and have a drink or two, but there’s nowhere we want to go,’” Scott says. “People want to be proud of where they live, and this is a place you can be proud of, and a place to take your out-of-town family and friends, or business associates. They can say, ‘Look what we have here.’
“There was a rep in here from Houston the other day who said, ‘We don’t have anything like this in Houston.’ That made me feel good.”
Part of the mission for the staff at Uncork’d is to teach customers about the different wines, which will come from various places like the Napa Valley, Oregon, and France. They’ll offer perspectives on their eight featured bourbons and craft beer offerings, something Scott loves to discuss. For him, nothing’s better than an IPA in the warmer months or a cream stout in the winter.
He’ll even enjoy that stout on the patio, which can seat up to twenty-five, since it’s heated. “I hear people all the time discussing where to eat that has the best patio, so when we planned Uncork’d, we made sure that after two in the afternoon it’s shaded, which is so important during the hotter months. And you can’t imagine how great it looks at night with the fire pits going.”
When Uncork’d is closed to the public on Sundays and Mondays, it will be available for groups to have bridal showers or birthday parties or other special gatherings.
Scott smiles as he looks around. Already he’s thinking about the holidays and what Uncork’d will look like decked out for Christmas. He’ll use restraint, he says, wanting all the understated beauty to remain the focal point.
When he thinks of Christmas, his thoughts go back to childhood, here in Fort Smith, where he has such a strong family and so many wonderful friends. Those years were filled with traditions, some of which continue today.
He can’t help but wonder if Uncork’d will be the site of new traditions, a place where friends will gather to celebrate milestones, or just to have a drink and catch up after a long week of work. Maybe Uncork’d will forge a special memory for a couple whose first date was here. So many good things seem possible.
Scott looks across the room, out to the patio with its greenery and plush seating, possibly thinking of next year, the spring, the summer, fall, and all the people who will gather here. He is smiling still, in this place he envisioned two years ago, in this city he calls home.
Uncork’d
5501 Phoenix Avenue, Fort Smith
479.434.5000
Tuesday through Thursday, 4-10pm
Friday, 2-11pm | Saturday, 12-11pm
