Hi, I’m Lucy and I've enjoyed the pleasure of wine for many years and like many was stuck at home during lockdown with little to do but watch movies and drink. So I decided to challenge myself and finally take wine seriously by taking an online course.

Before I knew it I passed level 1 WSET with flying colours and signed up for level 2. As lockdown 2 started I signed up for level 3, but this was not enough to quench my thirst; if you  pardon the pun. After a conversation with my partner, whom lost his retail business like so many others in the pandemic, we realised that Ipswich was void of a decent place to taste or buy interesting wines that I had discovered.

So we decided to find a place and open a wine merchant. Not just a stuffy wine shop that is closed off to ordinary people, but a fun, accessible, cool shop for anyone that wants to find wines that taste amazing. 

It took a while but finally we found the perfect empty unit... it needed a lot of work.

As you can see, it needs a lot, A LOT of work. It took a few months but all this would soon be looking perfect.

The Past

When we first got to see the place we knew it was going to be all hands on deck. The lease was signed so it was no going back and we had a dream.  

Over the next few months the place was cleaned out and the building work started. Oh, and then there was all the legal stuff to take care of... total fun I can tell you.

Strangely the hardest part was coming up with a name that was not already used by someone else. We really had problems with this part, but now have found a name for our shop that no one else has. That name we uncover when we finally open. It'll remain secret for now.

The Present

Fast forward to 2022 and we now have finished the refurbishing, which for us is a massive milestone.    

The Future

Now it is time to fit the shop out with shelving, tables, till and all the other things needed to operate. Then it's time for us to  focus on the wine, get back to our roots so to speak - after all, wine is our thing!

We plan to launch with more emphasis as a wine shop, with a tasting room at selected times.  Expect an amazing selection of our retail wines in floor to ceiling shelves, and some local produce. We will have wine on tap in refillable bottles for you to top up as needed. We will also open up the space, both to ease your purchases and to create space to pack up for our online wine offering, which we will expand in time. 

We also have on order a wine dispensing machine to create our wine by the glass selection. Our space will still be small, but we will have a lot of ‘wine’ going on!  We’re also planning to host a series of one-off and collaborative events in our new space too, so look out for what’s coming up in the months ahead. We are so excited to show you what we have planned for Ipswich. For example we are looking at a Crowdfunder family tree and wall art to display the names of our supporters.

Where will my money go?

This crowdfunding will go directly to fitting out the shop -  we have a lot already, but it is basic and we would love to make it look amazing with a one off injection of cash to be able to transform the space. We want our surrounding community to feel part of the project. Your generous contributions will go directly towards adding better shelves and fridge space to stock your favourite tipples, and new furniture.

By supporting this campaign not only will you make a wine merchant in Ipswich an awesome new space but even more importantly you will help new and existing residents in the area realise how much it, and the whole market needs it. 

It’s more important now than ever before to support your local shops, eateries and bars.