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+--- Thread: VinElla @ 6 Months (/thread-13628.html)
- stevebody - 04-28-2006
This is a general rave for everyone on this forum who so generously offered advice on what we should include in our concept for VinElla.
We've been here 7 1/2 months, now, and we're still not out of the woods but things are trending just the right way. Based on your suggestions, we gave the place a lot of color, artwork, music, hardwood floors (more for Judye, since it's a lot easier for her to get her chair across hardwood than the usual knee-jerk commercial carpeting), comfortable seating in the form of two red leather loveseats and matching barstools, and an open, casual atmosphere that, in retrospect, seemed a little poufy for me at first but now seems like a life-saver, since the standard for tasting room opulence here in WDVL - with Ste. Michelle, Columbia, DeLille, and several others - is pretty high. The number one thing we get graded highly on by our customers, though, is service and we've worked relentlessly at that since Day One. I reserach the wines we pour thoroughly and try to find interesting facts about the winery, vintners, and land to keep the tasting talk from becoming drier than a roomful of electrical engineers. We haven't gotten that many bodies through the door, yet, but the people who do find their way here tell us they really like the place and they come back. 90% of the people who came in the first month are still coming in at least weekly.
I have a bunch of pictures of the place and as soon as I get them uploaded to a photo hosting site, I'll post the link so you can take a look.
Thanks again for all the help from everyone, especially Foodie, whose comments were dead on and helped form the core of this joint.
- Thomas - 04-28-2006
Steve, what about the espresso machine???
Another thing to consider, if you haven't already, is to get email addresses and build an email relationship. My shop did quite well with that strategy. I used to write weekly email telling stories about the wines we were tasting, offering recipes, and more.
I am told by the staff there that a lot of customers have commented on missing those stories of mine about the wines and the regions.
In my view, education is a premium sales support tool.
Thanks for the recognition. I'll remember you when I'm down and out and need some change...or a job! [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/wink.gif[/img]
- wondersofwine - 04-28-2006
Keep up the good work Steve. Are you allowed to have bottles opened for tastings in the store (don't know Washington laws)? Does your local newspaper list activities of the day or week? I would think you could attract new customers by advertising a free tasting of six Spanish wines, Italian wines, cool wines for summer heat spells, etc. (fill in the blanks) on Saturday afternoon or maybe Thursday evenings. Get it listed in "things to do" in the newspaper and if you get a response to the first couple tastings with new and repeat customers, invite the newspaper to send a photographer out to the next one. Also, see if you can participate in a local charity event that will draw attention (donate the wines for a fund-raising reception for an orchestra or ballet or Rape Crisis Center or some such and in return ask to be allowed to give out business cards and brochures about your store.) Partial tax writeoff too I would think.
- stevebody - 04-29-2006
Guys,
Thanks for the feedback - again! Yes, I do a monthly newsletter that usually runs about 8 pages in PDF form, with as much color, graphics, and witty(?) writing as I can manage. I have a great time doing it. I also send out emails in between times if something pops up (or goes awry) and also do a separate tasting calendar mailout. Same here, people stand in the shop for 40 minutes, sometimes, reading my signage and I get constant feedback about the newsletter stuff, some of which isn't about wine, even. Every month, I put in a profile about some segment of our family, since we have one wall at the shop devoted to family photos.
We do tastings anytime we're open, even at 11 a.m. on a Tuesday. Our big tastings are on Saturday afternoons, usually from 3 to 5, and we'll generate an in-house theme tasting if we don't have a winery or importer. Here's what's coming soon:
April 29: Strong Ales from Unibroue, North Coast Brewing, Duinen, etc.
May 6: "Pretty in Pink" - Roses From All Over
May 13: Grateful Palate Imports of Berkeley
May 20: Belgians in America: Belgian Style Ales from Ommegang, Anderson Valley, And Allagash Breweries, by Click Imports
May 27: Dunham Cellars
June 3: Writer's Block & Steele
June 10: Stephenson Cellars
We've adopted a chartiable cause, which we had always planned to do. We chose The Mobility Project of Bremerton, WA, an organization that provides free wheelchairs and walkers to people who can't afford them all over the world and, most recently, to people who lost their mobility equipment in Hurricane Katrina. Any money charged for a tasting goes to these guys, which seemed a natural, given Judye's situation. We also give free, private tastings to anyone who needs a donation to any good cause. So far, that's included everything from the Everett Little League to Susan B. Komen Foundation.
We decided to use our ad budget to fund tastings, since each one gets new people into the shop. People tell me they enjoy the way I do the tastings, which is really flattering, so we do as many as we can.
Anytime you have a thought, I'd really welcome it. And thanks again for all the help so far!
(As for the job, Foodie, might wanna wait until we're making more money. I don't think we could afford you yet!)
[This message has been edited by stevebody (edited 04-29-2006).]
- Thomas - 04-29-2006
Steve,
Room and board and a case a week will do...
Re, advertising: do not waste money on print ads and never give out coupons. In each case, I've found it brings out the bottom feeders who really aren't good candidates for long term customers. They are not loyal.
Tastings, tastings, tastings--you are on the right track.
Classes are good too. I made a lot of customers that way, and friends too.
Do you have a POS system that allows you to keep track of what people buy and that you can also give a print-out to customers as a receipt? I used to do that--effective.
Keeping track helps when a customer can't remember a wine; the printouts can be custom designed to add notes and food pairings for the wine. Some customers made books out of our printouts.
- Innkeeper - 04-29-2006
Including us.
- stevebody - 04-30-2006
We have Mircosoft RMS with unlimited account capacity, including purchase tracking and preferences, and we have already instituted a wine tasting group that meets monthly, plus classes beginning in June for Basic Wine Tasting and French Varietals 101. As far as ads go, we're in the Washington Wine Commission Travel Guide and on the Woodinville Chamber of Commerce Tourism Map. For the present, that's about it. I'm sorta convinced that the only way to really build this place in a solid way is just to make sure that everybody who comes in has a good experience and is motivated to talk about us. That's been our best advertising to this point.