Have you ever walked by an independent shop in your neighborhood an infinite number of times and never thought about going into it?
One reason this is coming up is because in our LOCALMOTIV work, we’ve discovered so many outstanding shops. We’ve met dozens of wonderful, very talented merchants. And, we’ve made new friends. Some of these indies we were aware of but had never taken the time to visit in our pre-LOCALMOTIV days. Strangely, others just mysteriously appeared, as if out of nowhere. Of course, they were there the whole time. This leads to our first insight.
Lesson 1: Explore your neighborhoods with a fresh attitude visit the shops you’ve passed by. We decided to do this exercise on Piedmont Ave. Wine on Piedmont definitely qualified based upon this criteria.
Lesson #2: Don’t judge a book by its cover. From the outside, Wine looks tiny and it’s possible to jump to the conclusion that it won’t have what you need. And, since it’s on Piedmont, you’ll incorrectly assume that it’s too pricey. But when you walk in, it opens up into a bowling alley of a quality wine selection at varying price points. What we loved most is that the wine selection wasn’t the usual big wine companies. YAY! It also has a wall of small producer spirits that looks intriguing though we didn’t study it in great detail. And there is a wine tasting bar in the back! In short, Wine on Piedmont has the assortment and the wine tasting events to set you up for wine purchase success.
Lesson #3: Introduce yourself to the owner. OMG, we had so much fun chatting with the affable owner, Brian Goehry. Then, he helped us select some new wines to broaden our horizons. We discussed wine tastes and preferences, buying history, and favorite bottles. He pointed us in a new direction. All choices turned out to be delicious. He should also bottle his genuine, gentle, and kind nature and sell that too.
Lesson 4: Keep your mind open to the little happy surprises when you shop local in Oakland. We must endeavor to keep it Oakland because shopping Oakland sparks joy! Wine on Piedmont did just that for us.
More About Wine on Piedmont
What they offer: an amazing selection of handcrafted wines, excellent sakes, artisanal spirits, microbrewed and imported beers, accessories, gifts, wine tasting events, event planning support, and Brian’s expertise
We think that wine stores can sometimes be intimidating. Not Wine on Piedmont. So, if you are worried about not knowing anything about wine, or find it overwhelming to choose a wine, or think wine people are too snooty, go see Brian.
Address: 4183 Piedmont Ave #5109, Oakland, CA 94611
Phone: (510) 595-9463
Instagram: www.instagram.com/wineonpiedmont/
Website: wineonpiedmont.com/
Neighborhood: Piedmont Ave
