Courtesy Southside Wine + Spirits
Southside Wine + Spirits co-owner Tiffany Harmon
Tiffany Harmon has a serious passion for wine — and the home and community she's built in the Southampton neighborhood of St. Louis with her husband, Rob. Next month, the couple plan to open Southside Wine + Spirits (5017 Hampton Avenue, 314-779-6294) in St. Louis Hills, an outgrowth of their online retail and events company of the same name.
"I'm a hand therapist — I work in outpatient physical therapy — and my husband is in sales, so we don't have a background in wine, but I love wine and I love St. Louis City," Harmon says. "That's where we chose to live and raise our family, and we go to a lot of community events. Every time we would go to an event, I would be kind of disappointed in the wine selection. So [the idea for the shop] sparked from that: How can we offer better choices for wine drinkers at community events?"
The shop space is currently under construction as the Harmons work to transform it into their dream wine and spirits destination.
"Right now we're putting a lot of effort into just getting the shop open," Harmon says. "The shop is kind of in disrepair — we've just got [new] flooring, somebody is doing the ceiling this week. It's definitely under construction, but that will all be wrapping up in the next few weeks, and we'll be ready to open for retail. We really want to grow the store and improve the space around the store, and the support we've had from the neighborhood is helping us do that."
Southside Wine + Spirits will stock local, national and international products, including Missouri-made items from Lifted Spirits in Kansas City and Southside Alchemy Sweat & Tears Bloody Mary Mix made in St. Louis. When the shop debuts in October, it will be open from 12 to 9 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.
"The focus of our shop, retail experience online and at events is really that a good bottle of wine can happen on a Monday night and it doesn't have to have a high price tag," Harmon says. "So we're choosing wines that we know people will like but that aren't at too high of a price. We want to break down the barrier of intimidation — wine shops shouldn't be intimidating."
Retail is only one element of the business, too: Southside Wine + Spirits can be hired to pour at events, from weddings to birthday parties to corporate gatherings, and you're likely to see them at neighborhood festivals and block parties, too.
Courtesy Southside Wine + Spirits
A selection of wines and spirits offered at Southside Wine + Spirits.
"We're very grateful for the neighborhood support so far, and we have really high hopes for what's coming next," Harmon adds.
Get a taste of what Southside Wine + Spirits has to offer on September 28 at Macklind Days Street Festival in Southampton: The shop will be pouring wine and Macklind Margaritas by local bartender Todd Brutcher of Southside Alchemy at the annual festival, which runs from 12 to 8 p.m.
"Macklind Days is our next big event, and that's been a big focus for us: just trying to get out to more neighborhood events," Harmon says. "We set up a big navy blue tent with a wine barrel; we truly want to set up a space for people to hang out. Usually we serve a variety of white and red wines and a rosé. All of our wines are poured at just $5 a pour. We have some merchandise and then we usually have a featured drink, which will be the Macklind Margarita mixed with Southside Alchemy margarita mix with Cimarrón blanco tequila."
In the meantime, you can stay updated on the retail shop's grand opening date by following Southside Wine + Spirits on Facebook and Instagram.
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