acquiring

[ShortWiner]

Customer service could certainly be a big selling point for you, if you do it right. I am most drawn to wine shops (like Foodie's shop, is-wine) that are ready and willing to educate me in a way that feels good--they take the time to talk to me, ask what I like, LISTEN, make suggestions, and explain their suggestions. I hate sales pitches, especially if they sound pre-packaged, and I hate blatant snobbishness, though high standards are fine. I like it when a wine merchant recognizes that I know a little something about wine and isn't threatened by that fact. I will pay more for this, and I do. Such places are not readily found.

All that said, I'm probably not your average customer, and while I buy a fair amount of wine, I don't generally go for the very expensive stuff and people like me alone probably wouldn't keep you in business. You may need to be able to cater to the status-conscious stock brokers who want Turleys and whatnot. The really successful-seeming wine shops I've been to tend to be either high volume clearing-house type places or they're walking a fine line between accessibility and a sense of insider snobbery. The latter seems like a difficult thing to do well, at I think it takes talent and a LOT of knowledge.

So there's a customers point of view, for what it's worth. Good luck!