Meet Robin and Andrew, the husband and wife team turned wine enthusiasts behind Cellar Door Wine Shop in the heart of downtown Concord. With Andrew\u2019s career in Software Engineering Management and Robin\u2019s background as a Speech-Language Pathologist, they never expected to turn their love for wine, specifically small, family-owned vineyards, into a retail business.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was not part of our plan,\u201d said Robin. \u201cWe were sitting 2 years ago at a winery with friends when, almost as a joke, the idea of opening a wine shop together came up.\u201d<\/p>\n
The seed was planted, and neither of them could stop thinking about it. With an infectious \u201cwhy not?\u201d attitude, in the spring of 2023, they started taking real steps to pursue the dream. Already deeply embedded in historic downtown, they saw the wine shop they envisioned as a much-needed addition to the business community there.<\/p>\n
With a smile, Andy said, \u201cWe kept waiting for someone to tell us we were crazy, but no one told us no. So, we just kept going!\u201d<\/p>\n
Among their list of encouragers was Meg, director of the Rowan-Cabarrus Small Business Center.<\/p>\n
Robin discovered the services of the Small Business Center while researching the steps they needed to take to open their shop. She scheduled a meeting with Meg and was provided with a resource called LivePlan that walked them through each component of creating their business plan.<\/p>\n
By the fall of 2023, they were well on their way to launching Cellar Door Wine Shop. Meg suggested Robin and Andrew apply for the Retail Lab. The six-week boot camp for early-stage retail business owners is offered at the Cabarrus Center through a partnership between the Flywheel Foundation and the Rowan-Cabarrus Small Business Center, made possible by grant funding from Wells Fargo.<\/p>\n
Just before the Retail Lab boot camp began, Robin and Andrew found their perfect location at 2 Union Street South \u2013 right on the corner of Union Street and Cabarrus Avenue in downtown Concord. The program came at the perfect time as the couple worked to get their business ready for launch.<\/p>\n
Their favorite topics were around the business basics and customer discovery, but each week taught them new things and confirmed decisions they had already made.<\/p>\n
Andrew explained that while the class titles appeared a little intimidating, each week, they were put at ease and were taught each topic in the exact way they teach their customers about wine at their shop \u2013 with approachability!<\/p>\n
They soft-launched Cellar Door at the end of January 2024 but celebrated their official launch with the Cabarrus Chamber and a ribbon cutting in April.<\/p>\n
Cellar Door is not just a typical wine shop. You won\u2019t find any bottles from your local grocery store, and perhaps most surprisingly, you\u2019ll find the average price of a bottle around $20.<\/p>\n
Robin and Andrew have a love for educating people about wine from all over the world \u2013 specifically small, family-owned vineyards, many of which use sustainable farming practices.<\/p>\n
They offer samples of their two \u201cwines of the week\u201d whenever their doors are open, but they especially love Wednesday evenings. This is when they offer free, drop-in style wine tastings from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. that feature 4 wines, often new or from a specific region. This is where the heart of the business beats loudly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWine can be intimidating, but it doesn\u2019t need to be,\u201d said Andrew. \u201cOur mission is for wine to be approachable and unassuming.\u201d<\/p>\n
This mission has helped Cellar Door build and deepen community connections with each tasting or special event that it offers. This business is not simply a transaction to Robin and Andrew. They want to share all the knowledge and passion that has been imparted to them over the years with those who walk through their doors.<\/p>\n
To that end, the Retail Lab boot camp\u2019s greatest asset to their business was the community built with other business owners.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy favorite part was meeting entrepreneurs with different businesses and backgrounds,\u201d Robin shared. \u201cWe have collaborated with two other Retail Lab grads in our store.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody that we have collaborated with understands that each successful business breeds the success of their neighbor,\u201d said Andrew.<\/p>\n
Cellar Door Wine Shop\u2019s story is a testament to how following a passion can lead to new opportunities and enrich a community.<\/p>\n
This fall, they will be hosting more events and exciting collaborations, as well as continuing their free Wednesday night wine tastings.<\/p>\n
To learn more about Cellar Door Wine Shop and all that is coming up, visit their website at www.cellardoorconcord.com or connect on Facebook and Instagram at Cellar Door Concord.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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