By Matt Petras
For the MVI
While stationed in California during his Marine Corps service, Michael Lisovich would visit his grandfather, who ran a winery.
“I think that always put the bug in my head that, that’d be something cool to do,” Lisovich said.
Years later, after retirement quickly made Lisovich feel restless, he decided to get into that business himself, becoming the owner and operator of Wines of America, which produces and distributes wine. Just before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, he started another business.
Lisovich opened the Forge Urban Winery in Homestead, which has grown into an eclectic mixture of wine bar, music venue, veterans center and more, managed by April Conley, a DJ well known in the Mon Valley.
The Forge is located at 210 E. Seventh Ave., neighboring the Waterfront shopping center. The space is used for a wide variety of events, with a versatile set-up. There’s a bar, tables, a stage and a room with a pool table, a television, dozens of vinyls with a record player and a couch.
While the wine bar, which features more than 30 different wines, typically complements these events, it’s often shut down for non-alcoholic events.
The venue typically hosts live music in the evenings throughout the week and sometimes features other artistic events, such as film screenings. In 2022, the Forge hosted more than 200 musicians, according to Lisovich. Dozens of photographs of the various artists cover one of the walls.
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