Rebirth

 My wife and I have just celebrated our two year anniversary of owning Maratene's Fine Wine this past Saturday. Turning a established traditional liquor store in to  a fine wine shop is tricky in the best of times, but in the midst of  a financial collapse it added an extra level of pain. I remember in March of 2009 when everyone went into bunker mode I thought "What have I done?" After a brief period of panic and anxiety things picked up again and I began to see a lot of new faces.  We have been lucky that much of the established clientele who bought beer and liquor here but shopped for wine elsewhere are now buying everything with us now. I am also lucky to be in a town that takes great pride in their local shopping and go out of their way to support local business. This coming year will see a rebirth of Maratene's as a wine retailer, and as a member of the larger online community. This is the first post with many to follow. The topics will be about wine and the wine business, but also a more honest view into the world of small mom & pop retail. I want to be unflinchingly honest about the trials of owning and operating a small business in an age of the
wal-mart mentality. So stick with me this may be bumpy and at times uncomfortable but in the end I hope I can make it worth your time and interest.
Cheers