Igloos with a view at Schenectady's Mohawk Harbor

PHOTOGRAPHER: Photo Provided

A winter igloo at Shaker and Vine is shown at Mohawk Harbor in Schenectady.

Share on Facebook

Save

SCHENECTADY — Ice bars are out and igloos are in. At least that’s the case at The Shaker & Vine.

Earlier this week, the self-serve wine bar installed an igloo on its patio, which looks out onto Mohawk Harbor. The clear-plastic domed feature has attracted quite a bit of attention already, as owner Anthony Graziano hoped it would.

“I travel around the country a lot and I’ve seen [some] great experiences out there and I thought it was something fun and unique to bring over here to the Capital Region,” Graziano said.

Featuring couches and tables, the first igloo to be installed fits parties of six to eight people. By mid-next week, a few others will dot the 2,500-square-foot patio.

“We have two that are going to be for larger groups and they’re more like a lounge-style inside but the third igloo we’re going to put together is more of a communal igloo for couples. There’ll be just two top tables in there for smaller parties,” Graziano said.

Each igloo includes a Bluetooth speaker, which guests can use to play their own music. Blankets are also included, a feature some might find necessary.

PHOTO PROVIDED
A winter igloo at Shaker and Vine in Mohawk Harbor, Schenectady.

Since the igloos are made out of PVC piping and a plastic covering, the temperature will sit around 60-65 degrees on bitterly cold days. The patio is heated and on warmer days the igloos might hit 70 degrees.

“We considered an ice bar but we just got concerned with the weather and the fact that the patio out here is heated. We’d have to make some sort of modification for the ice not to sit right on the patio otherwise it’s going to melt. . . . We haven’t ruled out doing the ice bar, but this we felt was more unique and not many people were doing it,” Graziano said.

The Shaker & Vine first announced the igloo features via Facebook on Tuesday and by Friday afternoon the post had reached 34,000 people and garnered more than 600 comments.

“The calls have been coming in non-stop and we’re taking reservations through Facebook Messenger so we’ve gotten a lot of requests through there as well,” Graziano said.

Reserving an igloo Sunday-Wednesday won’t require an upfront fee, though each patron must spend at least $25 on food and drinks. Reserving an igloo Thursday-Saturday costs $50 per hour, along with the $25 minimum on food or drinks. Full-service food and drink come with each reservation.

While the rest of the igloos are still being installed, Graziano is already considering buying more for next season.

“We’re going to do these every year. I think just looking at the response now, next winter we’ll look to add more,” Graziano said.

For more info call 518-630-6318.