The New Tinderbox, has a very relaxing yet classy atmosphere. It is very welcoming and the employees are friendly and very informative.
Though me and my husband have only had two chances to attend wine tasting, we have truly enjoyed the experience. We plan on attending this Friday's Jan. 20th and we are bringing along some friends that we have told about the Tinder Box.We love shopping at the Tinderbox, its my husband's cigar and humidor fairyland as well as the wines!, Me , I love to shop for good wine and look at the beautiful glassware.
Maybe someday I will try a cigar!!!!! well you never know, anything is possible.:)!
Thank You,
Natalie Minnec


Congratulations on a successful year. It has been a pleasure to have both quality cigars and wines available in a location that has easy access, great hours and great staff! I enjoy the frequent wine tasting's and cigar events. best wishes for many more years!
jeff fondrk


One year already! Congratulations! I know this is just the beginning of many more enjoyable years for Vino100/Tinderbox.
I was trying to remember the first time I visited your new store. I believe it was in April and I’d heard about you from a girlfriend who had been there the week before. I certainly wasn't’t prepared for what I found. You have a great selection of really good wines at fabulous prices! Especially my favorite Redhead Red! But what I enjoy even more than the wine is the atmosphere in the store. Your store is warm and inviting. Your employees are wonderful and always so much fun! You can tell they really enjoy their jobs and have become so knowledgeable in the process. When I stop by it’s more like I am visiting friends rather than just making a trip to the wine store. It is always such a pleasurable experience! That is what I enjoy most about Vino100 - the people! I feel that I have some very special friends there and I wish you all the best in this New Year.
Pam Davis


I have recently had the experience of The Tinder Box and want you to know how much we appreciated your help in picking out a wine and even wrapping the gift for us with your cool wine tote we also purchased. We have given your website to various wine friends but have yet been able to attend a wine tasting. We will look forward to future tasting's and newsletters tho. Much success to you in the future-keep up the good work!!
Kim L. Rogers
Rockford, IL

My first exposure to 'real' wine was in the fall of 2004 at the Guglielmo Winery in Morgan Hill, California. It was there that I experienced their fine selection in the tasting room. I enjoyed my time there so much that I packed a few bottles into my carry-on luggage and headed back home to share this new (to me) treasure. Lately, my fiancé and I have been visiting your store about once a month in order to check out what is new and to replenish my cabinet. I enjoy the variety, as I am not able to select just one favorite. The new location is excellent. I hope to make the wine tasting this Friday (1/20).
Best wishes,
Lucas Greenlee
Machesney Park

We loved the wine tasting dinner at Paragon. Hope you do one again soon. The wines we purchased have been excellent.
Dick and Carol Laughlin

Just a quick thank you for bringing so many great wines to Rockford. I used to have to either drive some 30-60 minutes or go online to get a good Malbec, but now I just have to go down the street! Please keep up the great work and continue to help Rockford discover wine.
Jim Turmo

Thank-you for your numerous tasting opportunities -and those with the occasional cigar. And, I am glad you did move from CherryVale - the mall was usually cluttered with herds of unsupervised adolescents and cluttered with strollers pushed by
mindless mothers with glazed eyes. Now, you are in a
better place.
Craig R. H. Laurent

We have enjoyed all of the wines we brought home from Vino100 last year! What else can I say?
The last wine tasting of the year was fun and we are looking forward to the anniversary party- and I am practicing my Karaoke skills! (just kidding!)
Thanks to you and your great staff!
Allison & Scott Barnard

I stumbled across Tinder Box’s new storefront and was intrigued to see the Vino 100 under their name. So I wandered in that Saturday afternoon and to my surprise had a wonderful experience trying a few wines and enjoying a nice “Woman” cigar. Dennis and Lily were great that day. I had been looking for a wine for over six months that I had enjoyed in Las Vegas, and no one else in Rockford could get the wine for me. Dennis found it and brought to the store with in a week. The wine was Big Fire Pinot Noir from Oregon and it still graces the wall at Tinder Box today. Big Fire is still one of my favorites .I love their wine tasting events, and the opportunity to actually try something before you buy it. Also it is such a pleasure to have other people to talk to about wine. I am still quite new with wine and I have definitely learned a lot from the staff and customers at Tinder Box. Dennis and Lily have become great friends of mine .I have enjoyed their services and company so much that I even showed up to the Wine Tasting/Dinner at Parragon even though I had hit a deer on my way to the event. There was no way I was going to miss such a wonderful evening so I assessed the situation, called my insurance company, and headed to the event arriving on time. (the deer ran off if any one was worried about the animal) Thank you guys so much for everything. Keep up the great work and thank you for being my friends!
-Jimsi Kuborn

I get your email on your tasting's, I will make it one day.
Thanks for the info,
Laurra Patterson

Just a note to say Thanks for the Tasting event "two weeks before" Christmas. I was able to come spend an hour or so and complete some early shopping for a change and "wow" what a hit the selections have been.
Thanks Again and Again,
Randy Yuhala


Although I am not what most businesses would call a regular, the staff at the TinderBox always makes me feel like a regular. That is why I keep coming back. Thank you for being you.
Sincerely,
Chad Ryan


I asked myself (of course, maybe I talk to myself too much), nevertheless, why I enjoy coming to theTinder Box as much as I do and I think the answers are really rather simple. You have always gone beyond the necessary to find the Nording pipes I like and to repair the ones I break (I am clumsy). You've always been willing to help with my non-functioning (overused?) lighters. And, since you have been selling wine and liquor, there is always something new to taste when I come in, which is a great way to help one around the fear of trying something new. In other words, your primary concern is my needs as a customer. Strange, but that seems to be the exception rather than the norm, today.
But, even more, I always feel welcome at the Tinder Box. It is an atmosphere that should serve as the model for all businesses. My wife and I, as customers, have never been treated with anything but respect and I appreciate that very much, which is why you see as much of us as you do (and why we spend as much money there as we do). Such a symbiotic relationship should be the goal of every business that truly desires success.
Anyhow, as you come up on your first anniversary in the new store, my wife and I wish you only the best.
Bill & Barb Corzine


As the sales rep for Colibri Lighters for the past 15 years I visit on a regular basis every cigar store in the Chicagoland area. Your customers are lucky to have a dedicated store owner like you that makes the cigar shopping experience what it is supposed to be - FUN!!!!! Congratulations on your first anniversary!
Alan Gold
The Colibri Group

Meet the Staff

Want to add Your comments??? Email Us

 

 

My daughter and I stopped in for the first time right before Christmas. Everybody was VERY helpful in finding some wine for our Christmas dinner. We really enjoyed your store and will be back soon. I love knowing when you are doing the wine tasting's. That will help me be a lot more knowable about my wine.
Thanks again
Dawn Goodso


My fiance asked if I would want to go to one of your wine tasting's. I was so excited! I love white wine, and he's just starting to get into it. I hope to learn more about wine and what foods go with what wine and why. Your last wine tasting looked like you all had a blast. We hope to join you for the next one. Thanks to my fiance for forwarding me the email.
stacey


I'm not on your mailing list. A friend of mine always forwards me her email from you.....but I certainly have gone to your shop to view and purchase gifts. I belong to a couple online wine tasting and purchasing groups - its not the same. I love being able to SEE before I BUY! Can I be entered into the gift basket drawing?
I plan on stopping by Friday evening!
Ellice Ford


I am a new customer at Tinder Box and have very much appreciated the help I have received from you and your staff!! The wines that were suggested to me were very tasty and my family,friends and I enjoyed them very much!! We are all looking forward to many more visits to your place and trying more new delights!!! Thanks again!!
Nanci Whetsel


What a great concept with the wine tasting's!
My wife Melissa and I attended just before Christmas & had a great time! The host was very knowledgeable of the wines & we enjoyed hearing about the wine histories. We especially love the sparkling white and the "flying cigar" reI can't remember their names). I hope these will make it to the list of your regular stock.I used to stop in for a smoke once a month or so when you were in the mall.I enjoy your selection of cigars as well.
Happy New Year and keep up the great work!
Gene Ottes
Freeport, IL


You guys are with out a doubt the best place for wine in town, in addition the atmosphere is un-matched. I've been telling everybody that the best wine and cigars are at Tinder box.
Tony Torbey

What a truly unique store and great management! Thank you for bringing one of Rockford's best stores to us. I don't know of a better place to meet and make friends, sample and learn more about wine and cigars. Wishing you and you staff continued success!
Bruce Lode
Orland Park, IL

  I enjoy receiving the email announcements about the upcoming events at the Tinder Box on Perryville.
Thank you,
Larry Osborne

I recently needed a recommendation on a gift for my closest friends (also wine connoisseurs and liquor distributors).  Your friendly and knowledgeable staff helped me find a wine that even the pickiest of wine drinkers appreciated.  My gift was a hit and I know they have been in your store since to sample some of the 99 other wines available.  Thanks for the help and I look forward to my next visit!
Matthew Koyak

I've been to a couple of tasting's in the past there and I can't say how beneficial they are not only to the owner of the store but also the customers. It allows someone to try different wines that you may normally not try due to cost. Someone may shy away from $12-$20 when they have $8-$10 bottles in their back pocket they are comfortable with. This truly allows someone the chance to broaden their horizon on the number of winest they can taste.
Thanks

Vic

Dear Tinderbox,
Love getting your e-news! We wanted to come to every one of the Wednesday in December wine tasting, but as December goes didn't find the extra time. Hope to make a wine tasting soon.
Kelly and Mike Edwards


My husband and I first discovered this great little store sometime last summer. We have lived here in the Rockford area for over three years, but had not found a great wine store. (Up until this point, we had to settle for "potluck" wines from the grocery store. You know, hit or miss.) During our first visit, we met Dennis, and he immediately made us feel welcome. (We ended up talking an hour past store closing we were enjoying ourselves so much!) We loved the personal attention and the knowledge about selecting the perfect wine. He invited us to join his mailing list and to return for an upcoming wine tasting. We really enjoyed ourselves at the wine tasting; we loved that we could try different wines in a relaxed, casual atmosphere. After the first few times we were there, we noticed a couple who we had seen the previous times when we'd been in. We struck up a conversation, and quickly became fast friends! Thank you Dennis, and everyone at the Tinder Box for giving us such great memories! Congratulations on your one-year anniversary and wishing you many continued successes!
Christa McClain-Smith
Independent Kitchen Consultant
with The Pampered Chef


Over the past year, my wife and I have become frequent customers at The Tinderbox / Vino 100. We remember that first wine tasting like it was yesterday (we regret that we did not stay for the post party!). Until you began your wine tastings, our knowledge of wine was limited. For the last year, we have experienced many new wines and expanded our knowledge and taste. Without Vino 100, we probably would not have had that opportunity. Heck, Brenda didn't even like red wine until we started trying them at the wine tastings. Now we buy a bottle of red at every wine tasting.
We have met many new friends at your wine tastings, some that we consider very close. We always meet new people at the wine tastings and look forward to seeing them again at future tastings. Some of our best friends are the staff at The Tinderbox.
The first time I stopped into the new Tinderbox, I was looking for a specific cigar. Dennis informed me that although he didn't carry that specific cigar, he was sure that he could get it. He wanted to know if I would be interested in sampling a different cigar that was similar. I reluctantly agreed and....it was good. Every visit thereafter, Dennis suggested a different cigar that he felt I would enjoy. He was right. Since then, I have forgotten all about that original cigar I had been looking for and have found several new favorites! The irony is that I hounded Dennis to stock that one specific cigar when all I had to do was look around The Tinderbox and broaden my horizons. Thanks Dennis.
Thank you to all the staff and The Tinderbox. We have become lifetime customers and friends!
Kyle and Brenda Hill


Has it already been a year?! My husband and I used to drop into Dennis' store in the mall every once in awhile, but since Greg is a mall-o-phobic and we have two little ones, the small space they located was not a regular stop on our list. Now, though, whenever we are in Rockford, we always consider a trip to what Greg lovingly refers to as "the health food store". It's always worth the trip.
Dennis, Lily, and Rhonda are the friendliest, most real people we have met in a long time. They make you feel more like family than customers. We have even been fortunate enough to meet Dennis' better half at the Wine Dinner held at the Paragon. Now that was a good time!
Greg's favorite memory of the new store was the cigar crawl that Dennis had. He still laughs about Dennis telling him it would be a great idea to hang his gift certificate on the wall instead of spending it.
We love to try all of the different wines that they get in, and have found a few favorites that we enjoy. It makes us much more confident when we buy a gift for our friends or family!
It would be perfect if only Lily would stop scaring our infant daughter and making her cry...just kidding Lily.
TinderBox/Vino 100 has been a great experience. There is always some new "treasure" to find there. Everyone is really helpful with suggestions and ideas, and they always go the extra mile to find something you may be interested in that they don't currently carry.
I could go on and on about how happy we are that we decided to stop in when we saw them at their new location, but I'll just say this:
Happy First Anniversary...looking forward to many more years!

Greg and Mindy Colson...Andrew, Matthew, and Sarah