So . . .you’re doing what now?
We’re closing the store at the end of the year.
That’s terrible!
I’m sorry, that wasn’t a question. Please rephrase.
Oh, right . . .uh . . .isn’t that terrible?
Well, not necessarily. There have been a number of things that have come up over the past few months that have brought us to this decision. Uncertainties of direction of the wine industry as a whole and the overall costs related to the retail portion of Carpe Vinum as a business were pretty big factors. We’ve been here almost 5 years and there are other directions and aspects of wine that I wish to pursue in lieu of a physical shop.
I thought things were going well there. Uh . . . I mean, weren’t things going well there?
Things were going reasonably well for the business model we set up here. The wine tastings were popular and gave me the opportunity to confirm some of the aspects of the wine industry I really like: Writing, teaching and discussing wine, mainly.
So is this the end of “Carpe Vinum”?
No, not really. I’m keeping the name “Carpe Vinum,” the website address “carpevinumpdx.com”, the email addresses, the mailing list, and hopefully the phone number. I may be closing the store, but I’m not leaving the industry, and I’m not giving up on Carpe Vinum as a concept or a business. I just have to close the retail operation as a way to clear out the massive overhead of a leased space.
So, what are you going to do?
One of the things I’ve been interested in pursuing for quite a while is writing. I think of all the things I got the best response from the last 5 years is the newsletter I’ve been writing. I’ve been sporadically working on a wine book and I am pursuing an advanced certificate in wine education and perhaps a wine educator’s degree.
What about tastings?
There is a distinct possibility that I may be able to arrange tastings at other locations, and it’s something on which I will be working. It all hinges on issues of licensing. At this point it may be organized more like actual classes. Which will be a better situation considering I’ll actually have the time to discuss the wines and the regions. I’ll be maintaining the mailing list to give people updates as to how that’s progressing.
What are you going to do with all the stuff?
I’m going to keep all the tables, chairs and fixtures. Another retail venture isn’t out of the question, for the future. Just not right now.
But what if I need your wine advice?
Of course I’ll continue doing that. I’ll continue giving free wine advice to anyone asking. The best part of this job was talking with everyone about the wines and helping everyone understand the world of wine a bit better. Drop me an email. I’ll be attending more wine tastings, myself, so feel free to say “Hi” at some point. Also, watch the blog, as I’ll be adding more stuff to that all the time. Also, also, if you’re on the mailing list, remain there and I’ll let people know what’s going on with Carpe Vinum and how things are progressing.
Are you going to miss it? The shop, that is?
Maybe. As always, it’s hard to dedicate 5 years to anything and not feel some remorse at letting go. The job itself? Maybe. Maybe not. I’m not really in love with retail, although it is totally better to work in retail for yourself than for anyone else. I think I’ll be taking with me the skills and experiences that I needed to learn from this venture and leaving behind many of the hardships of a retail endeavor.
Thanks to everyone for the support!
The last day is December 29th. Come stock up on wine until then!
M