Let me introduce you to "From the Vine" at 8909 S. Old State Rd., Lewis Center OH 43035. It is a 2500sf wine and specialty beer shop in the Polaris area on the cusp of Lewis Center. Upon entering you will see the checkout counter which is usually manned by one of the owners, Shawn and Jaimie Meadows.
You can get just about anything you want from the shelves and special order even more. Wine on the shelves ranges from $5 to $180 per bottle and there is a wide selection of specialty beer both in the cooler and on the shelves. They will sell you Miller Lite with a smile, but you can get that anywhere. How about a single bottle of a Tripple Bock that you have never seen before?
If you don't know what you want or have a question about how something will taste, just ask. One of the cool things about owning a wine shop is that you get to taste everything. Sometimes there will even be a bottle open on the counter and you can get a taste.
To promote both the wine and the shop, Shawn and Jaimie have a public tasting about once a month, usually on a Saturday night. Tickets are $5 and you will taste about 15 wines. The marketing for this event is pretty low tech. You will get an email invite if you are on their mailing list, or the schedule is posted in the shop.
The place is open every day from 11-8, but Shawn and Jaimie take Monday and Tuesday off. Jaimie is there from Tuesday - Saturday and makes Shawn pull Sunday duty. And if you see Jaimie, her dog Argo is probably not far away.
So if you are in the area, stop in and grab some Cab, talk to Jaimie about her recent trip to Aruba and play tug of war with Argo. You'll be glad you did.
Do you have questions about distressed assets, receivership or bankruptcy sales, auctions? Email me at rfk@gryphonusa.com and I'll try to answer it in an upcoming post.
Richard F. Kruse is the President of Columbus, Ohio based Gryphon USA, Ltd. (www.gryphonusa.com). The Gryphon Organization includes Gryphon Asset Management providing receivership and consulting services in the distressed marketplace, United Country Gryphon Realty & Auction Group (www.ucohiorealty.com & www.ucohioauctions.com) providing real estate brokerage and auction services throughout Ohio and OnlineAuctionUSA.com (www.onlineauctionusa.com) providing commercial asset liquidations from the Midwest to East Coast.
United Country Gryphon Realty & Auction Career Opportunities Available. Call 614-885-0020 x 17
From the Vine is a great. And now I'll have to watch Maggie's blog for her winery blog. Tropical fruits sounds interesting.
Maggie & Sarah - Thanks for the positive comments. I was wondering if tidbits like this were what the localism folks are looking for.
I live and work in the same area, so both Melissa and I have a lot of contact with the businesses and the owners. I hope this will help give people a good look at our area.
I emailed them a link.
R