Wine & Words

With all the media discussion about whether this is a "good" holiday season or a "bad" one for merchants, I've started to reflect on how those qualities are measured. Seems like particularly in these "bad" economic times, the only measurement I hear is quantitative - "how much." Now, I watch the numbers here, for sure. Sales are what keeps us (and our employees) alive, so it's "good" that the numbers this year aren't "bad." But Wine & Words has always been driven by quality more than quantity, whether we're talking about our wine list or the Back Bay Cafe menu or the intangible qualities of our excellent staff. We don't have the most or the cheapest, but we always try to have the best.

So how does that relate to evaluating the Wine & Words holiday season? I think our season continues to be a "good" one, because of the quality of relationships and experiences we're a part of. The holiday wine tasting dinner we did that elicited thank you notes about what a wonderful evening everyone had. The couple from Raleigh who spent a pleasant morning stocking gift baskets for their Beaufort County neighbors. The young woman who is in the Navy in Virginia Beach and comes to Belhaven to visit her aunt and attend our monthly wine tasting who brought us a wine we'd never had before, "just to thank you for turning us on to so many good wines throughout the year." The Washington company with whom we have a professional relationship picking up 36 gift baskets to deliver to their clients. Our star waitress Sharion sharing her beautiful voice with the community, making a joyful noise. My having chosen (and pre-read) some books for family members that I know will bring them great reading pleasure and discovery. None of these transactions were about pushing sales figures. They were about the spirit of the season.

This is the season of music and lights and giving. And I think it's a "good" season when we add our music, our light, and our gifts to the mix. It brings us great joy to help someone choose a thoughtful gift that will be just perfect for the recipient. Or to greet someone's grandson who is here visiting for the holidays and asked Granny if they could come back to eat at the Back Bay Cafe. Or to wish a Merry Christimas to friends who are going away for the rest of the season and "will see you in February." I believe if we don't worry about the numbers but instead participate in the beauty, we'll all have a "good" season.

Both stores (and Back Bay Cafe) are open our usual hours through the weekend and on Christmas Eve. We hope to be part of your season...so come by and see us!