CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
LORI
Lori and Griff walked to the front of the two-story stone structure.
With what looked like a round tower at one end, the commercial building reminded her of a castle.
Double wooden doors welcomed people inside on the lower level.
A long balcony off the second floor protected those entering with a wide overhang.
“Tell me about the tower at the end. What’s inside that?” Lori asked Griff.
“The corporate offices are there. Pete, Grandad, and I have spaces on the second level. The lower level is reserved for staff, serving both the vineyards and the winery reception area. That’s where we’ll probably find Rosie because we’re not open to the public yet.”
“Are you open year-round?” asked Lori.
“No. We close right after New Year’s Day for January, except for special requests. As you can imagine, January is a slow time of year for us. In fact, if it hadn’t been for Grandad’s stroke, I could’ve stayed longer at The Beach House Hotel.”
“I wish you had, but I totally understand,” said Lori.
Griff studied her. “I guess we’d better not keep Rosie waiting any longer.”
They entered the tasting room.
A long counter with bar stools sat along the back wall, with racks of wine bottles behind it. To the left sat a group of small tables surrounded by chairs. Next to the area, a glassed-in cooler offered a variety of cheese boards and charcuteries.
To the right was an opening to a shop. Lori headed there.
The usual T-shirts and hats were there, but nothing out of the ordinary. Lori thought of all the opportunities for foodie gifts. She wondered if Sarita could come up with enough recipes for a small cookbook. Wine and tasty food went together. And where were the books?
“Okay, what are you thinking?” asked Griff.
She told him of her ideas.
He grinned. “I like what I’m hearing. Let’s go talk to Rosie.”
When they entered the office space in the tower wing, Rosie was sitting behind a desk.
At dinner, the one night they met, there wasn’t much time to get to know one another.
But Lori remembered how welcoming Rosie had been.
She was a pretty woman with long, dark hair pulled back into a ponytail and wide green eyes that shone with kindness.
“Hello,” said Lori as Rosie stood to welcome them. “I’ve come to learn what you are doing with the reception area.”
Griff gave them a little salute. “I think you two will get along well. I will leave you so I can attend to some business of mine. However, I hope you will discuss ways to improve this area and develop potential solutions. We haven’t paid attention to it before now.”
“We’ll be happy to be truthful,” said Rosie. “I’ve got some ideas, and I’m interested to know what Lori thinks.”
The two women exchanged smiles.
After Griff left, Rosie said, “It should be quiet because the tasting room is closed today. Let’s grab a cup of coffee in the kitchen, and we can talk.”
Rosie led Lori to a small, well-equipped kitchen reserved for staff.
After they’d helped themselves to coffee, they sat at one of the two tables there.
“This room serves the employees. We can store some of the food we have catered here, as well.”
“Are you talking about the charcuterie boards I saw? Where did those come from?” asked Lori.
Rosie gave her a sheepish look. “Actually, they’re from my parents’ gourmet store in town. My family has owned and run ‘Taste Treats’ for a number of years. We have not only the store, but also a thriving catering business. I’m able to get special pricing for the winery through them.”
“I like the idea of the winery being part of the town’s businesses,” said Lori. “I went into the shop here and briefly looked around. It needs work.”
“Oh, yes,” said Rosie. “I’ve told Griff and Pete they need to budget more money for the shop, but I think a complete upgrade of the shop could easily recapture any investment.
In the past, it received little attention, except from the person who ran the tasting area.
She’s very happy to have me take over that job. ”
“That gives you the chance to take it up a notch or two,” said Lori.
“In addition to my required courses for teaching, I’ve taken marketing courses and one semester of merchandising.
Now, I’m not only teaching but also working as a virtual assistant to two authors and three small businesses.
I think there’s an opportunity for the winery to grow business online. ”
“I agree,” said Rosie. “Let’s go look at the shop and talk about the changes I want to make.”
They went to the store’s doorway and stopped.
“At first glance, tell me what you’d change,” said Rosie.
Lori’s gaze swept the area from one side to the other and the back.
“If I’m being honest, it looks like someone was afraid of shoplifters and wanted to protect the merchandise.
Some of it should remain on shelving, but a lot of it needs to be laid out on display tables to allow shoppers to get an enticing look at it. ”
“I agree,” said Rosie. “But what else do you notice?”
Lori studied the area again. “Nothing stands out to me. Nothing draws me in. It all seems ordinary.”
“Exactly,” said Rosie. “Suggestions?”
“More color, more variety. Wine and food go together. I’d have kitchen items, cookbooks, especially from the region, and kitchenware available. Maybe Sarita would be willing to put her recipes into a small cookbook. We could include a short history of the vineyard.”
Rosie turned to Lori and gave her a quick hug. “Yes! Yes! That’s what I’ve been thinking.” She elbowed Lori. “Did you realize you said ‘we’ not ‘you’, when you were speaking? I wish you didn’t have to go back to New York. Is there any way you could stay here?”
Lori shook her head sadly. “My family is there.”
“No matter what, I want to keep in touch and continue to work with you on the changes,” said Rosie.
“That I can do,” said Lori, feeling better. She was excited to think she could be part of this, even from a distance.
“Okay, come back to the office with me,” said Rosie. “I want you to go through a list of items I’d like to add to the store. But first, I want you to look over the new design of the space and tell me if I’m missing anything.”
Thrilled to be part of Rosie’s plans, Lori eagerly followed her back to the office.
After Lori was seated, Rosie unrolled sketches on the desk in front of Lori.
“Please look this over. Like you, I would prefer to have several display tables with storage underneath them placed throughout the shop. I also want to be mindful of traffic flow, so we had to place fewer tables than I initially wanted. They’re a bit larger, though, which should help.
The checkout area will hold smaller items, which can be guarded against theft. ”
“T-shirts, caps, and the like can be showcased pretty much where they are,” said Lori. “What about using the corner for books about the area, winemaking, and cookbooks? Next to it can be kitchen and gourmet items. You’ll still sell wine glasses at the tasting bar?”
“Yes,” said Rosie. “That’s done well, especially after our guests use and like them.
Another thing tourists like is the work of local artists.
I’ve spoken to several well-known artists and craftspeople and plan to offer unique, one-of-a-kind pieces.
They won’t necessarily be about grapes and vineyards, but something different.
The local shops carry almost anything one could want about grapes and wine. We need to be different.”
“Maybe you could use other artists and craftspeople as well. Adeline Hills wine is available nationwide. You could do a marketing campaign to tie into that theme and use crafts and art from those areas, too,” said Lori.
Rosie clapped her hands. “Super idea.”
Griff knocked on the door and entered. “How’s everything here?”
“I’m trying to convince Lori to move here,” said Rosie. “We could work together beautifully.”
Griff glanced at Lori.
“I’ve told Rosie all my family is back home. They’ve been so supportive of me. I can’t disappoint them,” Lori said, wishing things were different. The idea of living and working here was beginning to sound enticing.
“What are you two doing for lunch?” asked Griff.
“I was going to offer Lori some charcuterie items and a glass of wine,” said Rosie. “Why don’t you join us, and we can tell you what we’ve discussed.”
“Okay,” said Griff. “With the tasting room closed, we can have the privacy we need.”
The three of them entered the employee’s break room.
“You two stay there. I’ll get our lunch,” said Rosie.
After she left, Griff turned to Lori. “So, what do you think? Are Rosie’s ideas good?”
“She’s very creative. I think you’ll be happy with what we discussed,” said Lori, looking up as Rosie entered the room carrying a large charcuterie tray.
“Griff, what wine shall we have?” Rosie asked him.
“Let’s open a bottle of pinot noir. Lori likes it,” said Griff. “I’ll get it and the glasses.”
While he took out glasses and opened one of the bottles of wine placed in the kitchen, Lori turned to Rosie. “I told Griff he’s going to like what we’ve come up with.”
“He’d better,” teased Rosie. “I’ve been working on this for a while.”
“I heard that, and I’m ready to listen,” said Griff, handing them each a glass of wine.
Lori listened as Rosie went over the checklist they’d drawn up. Rosie coupled that with financial projections she’d created earlier.
“When do you think our break-even point will be?” asked Griff.
“If everything goes as planned, I think we could recover the cost in less than two years,” said Rosie. “We’d have high inventory expenses to begin with.”
Lori watched as they talked, liking how carefully Griff listened to Rosie. It said a great deal about him as a person.
“Any comments?” Rosie asked her.
“I think we could get some of the artists to provide items on consignment. That would save some money up front,” Lori said.
“Smart idea,” said Griff, giving her a look of approval.
He turned to Rosie. “You’ve done an excellent job. Thank you. I’ll talk it over with Pete and Grandad and let you know their reactions. But I don’t think you’ll have any disagreement from either of them.”
“Then I guess we’re done here,” said Rosie. “I have a meeting to go to.”
“And I’m going to give Lori a tour of the town,” said Griff.
Rosie left, and Griff said, “I thought you should see the town and some of its surroundings, so you have an idea what it’s like to live here.”
“Sounds great.” The more Lori learned about the business, the more she wished she could be part of it. But the thought of the children at Bright Beginnings tugged at her heart. She was as confused as ever.