Today we’d like to introduce you to Steffini Bethea.
Steffini, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Before I got into the wine business, I was a pharmaceutical sales representative. After being laid off in 2010, I took a trip to Spain. At that time, I was a big beer drinker, but in Spain, I came across some amazing wines that I had not experienced in the U. S. When I returned from my trip, I started trying out more wines outside of the noble grapes. I fell in love with what I considered at the time to be obscure grapes. One day, my husband said to me, “Steffini, if you’re going to drink wine like this, you need to figure out a way to make money doing it.” That day, the idea of the Purple Corkscrew was born. At the time, I didn’t know much about wine. I only knew what I liked. I started studying, and I also got a job at a local wine bar to learn the ropes. Once I got comfortable, I quit the wine bar and ventured out to find a location that fit my desired demographics, and in May 2012, I opened up shop.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road was definitely not a smooth one. My first location was in Emory Village. I had the most amazing customers in that location! Being new to wine and the business, I believe my customers taught me more than I had learned via my work experience. Unfortunately, the area became a ghost town when the University was not in session, and I was renting from a slumlord. The combination of slow summers and renting a building that the county continuously threatened to condemn took its toll. Little did I know at that time that was the best thing to happen to me. As a result, I ended up moving to the location that I’m in now, and it’s been smooth sailing ever since. On top of that, because I’m only 4 miles away from my initial location, I still get to serve a good number of my old customers.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
At the Purple Corkscrew, our customers can sip and shop in one location. We sell wine retail, and we also serve wine by the flight. Customers can buy bottle retail to take home and/or sit down in our lounge area and enjoy a wine tasting. This is something that a lot of wine shops are not allowed to do legally. We pride ourselves in offering superb customer service, as well as small vineyard boutique wines. The majority of our wines cannot be found in grocery or liquor stores. Together, my manager and I taste about 50 wines a week to determine which wines we will put on our shelves. The majority of my staff has been with me for six years. The design of the tasting room gives you a real cozy feel. My team does a great job of making customers feel at home. I am most proud of my staff and our well-curated collection of wine. We offer something for everyone.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
As it pertains to wine, one of my favorite memories from childhood is watching my parents host dinner parties in our home and watching them entertain their guests. I always enjoyed watching them make people happy, serving good wine, good food, and great music. At the Purple Corkscrew, I love to see my guests happy. I love to entertain.
Contact Info:
- Address: The Purple Corkscrew Wine Shop & Tasting Room
32 N. Avondale Rd.
Avondale Estates, Georgia
30002 - Website: www.purplecorkscrew.com
- Phone: (678) 515 8232
- Email: info@purplecorkscrew.com
- Instagram: purplecorkscrewwine
- Facebook: Purple Corkscrew
- Twitter: Purple Corkscrew
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