It was April 2008, just two years ago, that we opened the doors of our Wine Tasting Room in Old Town, San Diego.  This was not without risk…the country and California were in the middle of a raging recession, we had three kids in college, and we weren’t really as ready as we would have liked…the opportunity presented itself when we weren’t even looking!  But open we did…still remember the first five minutes…we opened the door, and a gentleman walked in and said that he wanted to buy a bottle of wine for dinner that evening.  I took his cash, turned to the register, and it wouldn’t open…it wouldn’t budge…it just kept beeping at me.  William nervously packaged the wine, whispering “he needs his change” and I replied through clinched teeth “I know…I can’t get the register to work”.   I then reached down for my purse and thankfully had the right change to provide.   That’s the memory of our first sale in the tasting room.

Since that time, we have had a lot of parties, mixers, networking groups, birthdays, bridal showers…you name it, we’ve hosted it!   Many went smooth as silk…others were a little bumpy or provided interesting challenges.  There was the evening that two networking groups showed up at the same time…we thought they were on two different nights, but they apparently were the same night.  So we juggled almost 75 people in a space for 55.  Since the plaza was under construction and the patio next store was vacant, we created sitting areas, and moved tables over for people to be able to network…it ended up being one of the better events for both groups.   We had a women’s book club hold one of their meetings and also experience of Old Town, and they sent a photo of their group in front of our tasting room to the Oprah book club…and our place was on her website for a month.   We started a grape stomp out of nothing the first year, and last year, we sold out at 2 pm, when we just opened at noon.   Participating in Halloween events, special dessert and port tastings, hosting a wine cruise on San Diego bay, we are always up for anything.   This third year brings more adventures, as we are adding a wine tour called “Two wineries and a brewery” and bringing in other San Diego wines from smaller boutique wineries, as well as local breweries.  We expect this summer to be our best, and are always thankful that so many people return again and again to our place.   Our thanks to the many who helped us be so successful…who knew that a newly opened business during a recession could grow and expand…we are very thankful!