House of Pure Vin has officially opened in downtown Detroit. The retail wine shop boasts 4,000 bottles of wine with plans to double its inventory in 2016.
The focus is primarily on Michigan wines, says co-owner Regina Gaines, with a secondary focus on French wines. Dedicated champagne and tasting rooms fill out the rest of the 3,100-square-foot space.
Michigan plays a large role in the shop. Gaines says she and her partners are excited to be part of what's happening downtown and the Michigan wine business as a whole. In setting up the business, they've used all Michigan-based firms and contractors, from design to construction, and a number of them are minority-owned. Even the name,
House of Pure Vin, is a nod to the state's Pure Michigan tourism campaign.
"We want to participate in bringing value to downtown and setting the tone," says Gaines. "We're glad to hear of all the global brands coming soon, but we're Michigan and we're unique."
Bedrock Real Estate Services is providing the space, having selected Gaines and partners Terry Mullins and Andrea Dunbar after meeting them through TechTown's Retail Boot Camp. Gaines says the space being made available was originally going to be only 500 square feet, but Bedrock liked their concept so much that they gave them a much larger storefront.
A number of other organizations throughout the city have contributed, be it financially or otherwise, to House of Pure Vin. Gaines credits Bryan Waldron of Bedrock and Derek Edwards of Invest Detroit as two especially important players in their getting started downtown.
"If it wasn't for the business community here, that public-private partnership push, we wouldn't exist," says Gaines. "We're not rich. We're just middle-class people with a great idea."
House of Pure Vin is open Monday through Thursday from noon to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from noon to 11 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. It is located at 1433 Woodward Ave.
Writer: MJ Galbraith
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