Editor's Notice: In honor of Nationwide Smallish Venture Week, libn.com is profiling 1 tiny venture a day on Extensive Island. Number one up, the smallest venture of them all.
Opening a wine shop in a previous storage closet on Most important Street in Sayville initially served Suzanne McDonald preserve overhead charges down.
Now, the approximately 100-square-foot size of Down the Rabbit Hole - which shed all traces of its storage closet previous when McDonald decorated it with paintings, cleanse white shelves and a crystal chandelier - is one of the boutique's most significant attracts. The shop, with an annual revenue of about $500,000, has been open 3 1/ two several years and McDonald says it is busiest on weekends and while in the summer season, when she catches the Fire Island crowd.
Strolling into Down the Rabbit Hole is like squeezing thru a narrow corridor surrounded on all sides by organic and natural, artisanal and some nearby Long Island wines. The wines are organized by taste, somewhat than area, the wine store typical.
McDonald, the only entire-time worker who started out the home business when she was 23, opted to organize that way mainly because the varied areas and huge kinds of wine are likely to intimidate prospects. She breaks out the about 100 wines she carries into flavors like fruit- forward or earthy-toned and encourages buyers to think about what they like, instead than names these as Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon.
"They allow their senses information them," she reported.
McDonald, a former competitive figure skater, found out she had an exceptionally sharp palate when she was hurt throughout coaching. Even when living in New Jersey, she obtained a task at a wine boutique, learned the ins and outs of the venture and designed it her purpose to an individual day open a wine shop.
Fortunately, her right friend's parents or guardians private the Sayville Chocolatier and have been willing to lease her the space they have been utilising to store brooms and an aged signal.
"The overhead is small due to the fact that there just isn't a ton of square footage to get lease on," McDonald reported.
McDonald has also branched out her small business into internet hosting wine parties, a excellent way to spread the word about Down the Rabbit Hole, because she stopped engaging in conventional advertising and marketing when her 1st yr and now relies on phrase of mouth to deliver in small business. For a bash, a group buys a situation of wine, and McDonald will come and lecture on the grapes that go into a particular bottle.
"The quirk is the marketing point," McDonald said of Down the Rabbit Hole. "You'll find it so very small, and it is really this kind of a novelty, and customers cherish it."
Writer: Jessica DiNapoli
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