Less than a year ago, the wine bar — with soft sconce lighting and leather chairs giving a cozy, intimate vibe — was a storage space for the florist greenhouse. There’s a bit of cross-pollination between the two businesses, with the flower arrangements on the tables and bar coming from right on the other side of a wall.

Isabel Williams took over the flower shop business from Kathy and Roger Steinbrueck two years ago. She said the storage room was mostly unused, the flower shop didn’t need to be that big and she wanted to do something with the open space. The idea for a wine bar evolved over time. Williams is hoping it can be a space where people can read a book, go on a date and have a drink before a Pendragon show or after a meal.

The room had two garage doors on the front and a wall right down the middle splitting where the bar area is now in half. She “fought for inches” to make the space not feel crowded.

The building was a barn for the nearby Berkeley Hotel in the 1880s. The hotel, where Berkeley Green is now, burned down in 1981, but the barn still stands. It is not historically designated, but has historic roots.

Zoe, Andrea Montag, Krista Dempsey and Ali Wilson hang out on the back deck of the Berkeley Dive at the Woodruff Street wine bar’s grand opening on Wednesday. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

“I’m just so grateful for the opportunity to keep a building that has been around for so long in Saranac Lake history, and make it something new and different,” Williams said.

Williams finds the term “dive” evocative of a dark hole-in-the-wall where people drink $2 whiskey shots, locals gather to share news and newcomers are welcomed as old friends. She said wine bar can be seen as daunting or pretentious. She wants Berkeley Dive to be inviting and accessible to all.

“Dive” is also a bit of double entendre, since the bar sits on the Saranac River, with a deck almost overhanging the water. Williams loves watching kayakers paddling by, or families of ducks drifting downriver.

The space is decorated with a “hint-o-nautical flair” as a nod to the water it overlooks. The bathroom wallpaper depicts krakens devouring ships. Longtime Scotts Florist employee Nina Derby painted an ornate gold and blue compass rose on the ceiling of the entrance which points toward true North and includes tentacles stretching onto the ceiling from the bathroom.

Williams is proud that her food and drink is all produced domestically. The wine is from vineyards in the Finger Lakes, Long Island, Washington, Oregon and California. The spirits are from Brooklyn-based and employee-owned Misguided Spirits. The beer is mostly East Coast brews with one from Colorado. The desserts come from Early Dawn Confections right across the street. And she tries to source as much of the ingredients for food from local farms.

Venice Aureli pours a glass of red behind the bar at Berkeley Dive during the Woodruff Street wine bar’s grand opening on Wednesday. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

She hopes the space can become a place for events and artist exhibits.

Before the “grand opening” on Wednesday, Williams had been “very softly opened” for several weeks, tinkering with the menu. She said she liked changing things up so much she plans to keep rotating the wine bar’s offerings every few weeks.

Berkeley Dive operates on the opposite hours as Scotts Florist — Monday through Thursday 4 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 4 to 10 p.m. and Sunday 2 to 9 p.m.

Tricia Fontana and Kathy Ford chat at the bar at Berkeley Dive during the Woodruff Street wine bar’s grand opening on Wednesday. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

Paige Lamb shakes up a cocktail and talks with Venice Aureli behind the bar at Berkeley Dive during the Woodruff Street wine bar’s grand opening on Wednesday. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)