Mike Duggan doesn't typically toss back champagne on a weekday morning, we assume, but House of Pure Vin's grand opening deserves a sip of bubbly. Or several.
The downtown retailer began selling bottles during Thanksgiving week on the first floor of Lofts at Merchants Row, 1433 Woodward. Detroit's mayor spoke and toasted the three owners at a ribbon-cutting Wednesday.
Regina Gaines: "My partners and I want to contribute to the rebirth of Detroit." (Bedrock Real Estate Services photos)
Those entrepreneurs are Regina Gaines, Terry Mullins and Andrea Dunbar -- "Detroit native daughters," as a release calls them.
“My partners and I want to contribute to the rebirth of Detroit," Gaines says in a statement, "and this is our way of making a difference. . . . Detroit is the new Atlanta and it feels good to be black on Woodward Avenue.”
The 3,100-square-foot business has wines from Michigan (half the stock) and elsewhere around the country and world, plus champagne. The staff includes a master sommelier, Claudia Tyagi, who'll conduct tastings and seminars.
"I bought a few bottles. Love the location, the vibe and the selction," Lisa Wilmore of Detroit posts Wednesday morning on Facebook.
The closest competitors are Motor City Wine, a Corktown wine bar and retailer on Michigan Avenue and Cost Plus Eastern Market Wine on Market Street.
Mayor Mike Duggan toasts three "Detroit native daughters" who own the Woodward Avenue newcomer.
While developing their business plan last year, the new shop's owners attended Tech Town’s eight-week Retail Boot Camp and emerged the winners. "Gaines says the experience helped them find their corporate voice, define roles, uncover the best pathways to secure funding and build a relationship with Bedrock, which is leasing the space for the new store," according to a blog post from Bedrock Real Estate Services.
The venture also received support from the Detroit Development Fund and Invest Detroit, Kirk Pinho reports earlier in Crain's Detroit Business.
Last summer, House of Pure Vin was one of 10 Hatch Detroit Contest semi-finalists in that competition among entrepreneurs for a $50,000 grant.
Originally, Sept. 27 was the opening target to coincide with that diy's Detroit Lions home opener.
House of Pure Vin opens at noon daily and shuts at 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 p.m. Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday.
Here's a WXYZ newscast clip:
