Tiara Curry always knew she was meant to be an entrepreneur. She has a degree in fashion merchandise and tried running an online boutique, but it didn’t click.
One day, Curry was packing up her Florissant home to move to St. Charles when she found old papers for a then-abandoned idea, The Wine Cafe (703 S Main Street, St. Charles; 636-410-8002, thewinecafe.biz). She told her husband, Terrence, about the idea. He was ready to go for it.
Since putting the sign out on Historic Main Street and opening the Wine Cafe in early March, Curry has realized this was what she was meant to do.
The menu features red, white, sparkling, and rosé wine as well as cocktails. There are also wine flights and tastings. Food consists of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, flatbread pizza and wraps, as well as charcuterie boards. One of Curry's goals when shopping around for menu items was to not have the same wine as anyone else on Main Street, and it’s something she's accomplished, Curry says. The cafe's wine hails from one local winery — McKelvey Vineyards — and other states like Oregon and California. They even carry a label from New Zealand.
The business came together pretty seamlessly. Terrence likes red wine, and Curry likes white, so they split the sampling duties when selecting what they’d carry. Curry came up the ideas for the food side of the menu, and Terrence cooks it. Curry crafted the vision of what the inside of the cafe would look like, and Terrence executed it.
They created a vibrant space that has both indoor and outdoor seating. The shop is adorned with signs, pops of orange on the walls and wine glasses. The patio is complete with bright orange umbrellas to shade guests. One guest told Curry that every time she walks past the cafe and sees the bright orange umbrellas, it makes her heart smile.
When asked to describe the first few months since opening, Tiara has one word: Exhausting.
“I couldn't complain,” Tiara says. “Going to work every day for somebody else, I complained every day. I hated every single day. I hated waking up in the morning, having to clock in. But I leave here, and I'm exhausted and tired, but I'm excited to wake up the next morning because I know this is mine. I'm coming to my own business. I'm super excited, but I'm super exhausted.”
Tiara says the feedback for The Wine Cafe has been extremely positive. Customer service is of the utmost importance to her, and while the growing pains have seen them temporarily run out of certain items, guests keep coming back.
Jenna Jones
Tiara values customer service and her employees. From left to right: Logan, Chloee, Tiara, and Chelsea.
The Wine Cafe is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Wednesdays and Thursdays it is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Fridays 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturdays 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sundays 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
See more photos of The Wine Cafe:
