9000 Days of Wine & Roses

As Lou Denis, owner of and , reflects upon his career he laughs, "Man, what a wild ride." 

Anyone who knows Denis knows that he does not work to live. He lives to work. As he prepares for the 25th anniversary of Wine & Roses in February, those words never rang truer because he's working harder than ever to serve the people of New Milford, and Bergen County, by constantly offering unique experiences like Oktoberfest, jazz nights or making the holiday just a little less stressful by baking pies for your Thanksgiving feast.

When he was 16 years old Denis lied about his age to get a job at Korvettes. He was there only a short time when the manager of the toy department left. It was right before the start of the Christmas rush.

"They thought I was a college kid and made me manager," he laughed. Admittedly, he didn't know much, but he kept focused on the advice his grandfather had instilled within him, "Always look at what's ahead of you; never look backwards." Denis knew, as his grandfather did, that the only way to find your true potential is to keep moving forward.

In preparation for Korvettes Christmas toy rush, Denis ordered more than a few grosses of superhero figures thinking that kids would like them. It wasn't until the delivery truck unloaded the boxes that he understood exactly how many items constituted a gross.

Never one to admit defeat, Denis took those superhero figures and created a dazzling display that compelled kids to add them to their Christmas lists. There was such a high demand that Denis sold all of those superheroes. And the best part? Parents could only get these superheroes from Korvettes because Denis had ordered just about all of the manufacturers' inventory and no other competitor could get them in stock.

After his uncle was injured in a car accident, Denis left Korvettes to join the family business owned by his grandparents at the wholesale flower market on 20th St. in Manhattan. Denis's grandmother taught him everything he needed to know about buying flowers and arranging them. 

One of the first floral designs he was asked to make was a horse. "A gambler came into the store and asked me to make a horse out of flowers for his brother who loved to bet the horses," Denis remembers with a grin. "What did I know about making horses out of flowers? But I told him it would cost $500."

Denis recalls that when the man came to pick it up the horse more resembled a dog than a racehorse. Sure he wasn't going to get his $500, Denis was surprised when the gambler laughed and handed him the money. "He told me it was perfect since his brother always lost because he picked dogs."

And then one day a woman who was living in Hackensack walked into his grandparents floral shop. "I took one look at her and said, 'Grandma, I'm going to marry that girl.'" A few months later he did. It was this girl who ultimately brought Denis to New Milford via Hackensack and Elmwood Park. 

After five years at his grandparents shop, Denis took a job with the flower shop located inside the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on Park Ave. Denis considers this his apprenticeship in becoming a premier floral arranger and party planner. Under the tutelage of a boss who trained in floral design in Germany, Denis became a master arranger, designer and planner.

Not only did he do all of the floral arrangements for the Waldorf Astoria, but for a client list that included corporate giants and Hollywood A-listers. "What a time that was," Denis recalls fondly. "I had my brother working with me and we traveled to anywhere our clients hired us to arrange displays for their parties." From the Hamptons to Hawaii, Denis has traveled for his clients. 

Then, in 1987 while still employed at the Waldorf, Denis opened Wine & Roses in New Milford with his brother Chris in a storefront that had been a liquor store for 60 years. "My bosses partnered with me to provide the liquor for the events they put together."

Denis was never busier and never happier. Both his family and his business were growing. When space in his house became tight, he added on. "I never considered moving," he said. "My house in New Milford means everything to me. It holds all of my memories."

Then 9/11 happened. "I was at a golf outing sponsored by the New Milford Lions Club with three friends who worked at Windows on the World." Denis paused before adding, "If they were at work that day they'd be dead."

Denis also adds that 9/11 changed the course of his business as well. "How the world changes overnight," he mused. 

Gone were the big corporate parties, the A-listers with money to burn, his job at the Waldorf. Anyone who was in business for themselves felt the tectonic shift of the economy in the years following 9/11. Many are still suffering the after-shocks. 

Everyone but Denis. Denis continues to push forward, refusing to look backwards. He opened Garden Cafe to complete his vision of offering a comfortable gathering place for the community. A place where people can eat, meet and find out what's going on in town. A place where many residents turned after the nightmare of Irene had subsided to share their story and find some measure of comfort.

"During Irene I was in the basement, water up to my shoulders, trying to corral my freezers that were floating like bath toys in the water," Denis recalls. But on his mind was getting the business back open so people had a place to go to.

That's all behind him now as he looks ahead and focuses on the future. He and his brother are currently constructing a wine tasting area in Wine & Roses. "We want to offer our customers a unique experience that they can't get from a box store," Denis said. 

After 9000 days, through all of the floods, severe storms and economic downturns, Denis and his family business are still standing on the corner of River Rd. and Henley Ave. And that's where you can always find him. Still smiling. Still looking ahead.