When a favorite local hangout dies, where does its soul go, and will you follow? The owners of Small Wine Shop, the buzzy boutique in downtown Fort Lauderdale that closed in June, hope so.
For five years in Flagler Village, Small Wine Shop was a thoughtful source of small-production bottles from California to Catalonia, but also a funky and welcoming gathering spot where tastings and other events drew crowds whose chummy chatter might yield tips on an interesting book, a new bar or a restaurant recommendation.
Presided over by the engaging wit of Tim Graham and his creative wife, Tracy Pell, the shop was one of those essential hubs of community that help define the character of life in an evolving downtown. It was a joy to be there.
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But the business was changing: Bottle sales, their bread and butter, were down as consumer preferences shifted, and a listless economy made discretionary spending on things like wine a luxury. While tastings and other events at Small Wine Shop were popular, day-to-day sales were lackluster.
The immediate area also changed: The FAT Village artist enclave across Andrews Avenue was demolished in 2023, removing a cultural destination and art walk pedestrian traffic, and the property that included Small Wine Shop seemed destined to make way for a new tower as well.
Regulars had been clamoring for food options at Small Wine Shop, so Graham and Pell decided to take the leap with a move to a larger place with a kitchen at the Gateway Shopping Center on the fringe of Victoria Park. The buzz around downtown was palpable. They closed the Flagler Village location in June.
“The summer was really, really, really challenging for hospitality. Visitors that we’d see every year did not come this year.” — Tracy Pell, Small Wine Shop
But while working on the Gateway space, they learned a city zoning ordinance prevented them from serving alcohol in that particular location (it was too close to another business in the center that served alcohol). They pursued a waiver to the rule, but the gears of Fort Lauderdale bureaucracy grind slowly, while rent and other expenses continued to mount. It soon became clear to Graham and Pell that they might not ever be able to catch up financially.
“The summer was really, really, really challenging for hospitality. Visitors that we’d see every year did not come this year,” Pell says.
They reluctantly decided to abandon the Gateway project. Pell returned to her day job in marketing and graphic design, while Graham is now managing sommelier and wine director at The Wine Wave in Delray Beach.
But on Thursday, a new chapter begins for Small Wine Shop as the couple will host the first in a series of pop-up events designed, along with a revamped wine club, to keep the shop’s unique vibe going.
“We continue to be invested in the community and creating a place for people to really hang out and have meaningful conversations and all the fun things we’ve always done,” Pell says.
First up is a tasting event at The Vintage on Harrison, 1955 Harrison St. in downtown Hollywood, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, focusing on some of their favorite wines from Spain. Tickets are $35, free for wine club members with RSVP.
Then on Friday, Sept. 19, the duo will collaborate with the Fort Lauderdale Water Taxi for a sunset tasting cruise called Wines of the Mediterranean Coast. The two-hour, golden-hour journey will feature five wines from coastal France, Spain and Italy.
Guests board at 6:30 p.m. at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, with a 7 p.m. departure for the nonstop Intracoastal cruise. The evening ends with an after-party at Olive & Sea (if you stay for dinner, you’ll get a complimentary glass of wine with your entree). The night will include raffles, a Water Taxi goodie bag and more. Tickets cost $75 (10% off for members).
The things that made Small Wine Shop distinctive remain intact, Pell says, and she and Graham are in “a good place.”
“We’ve pivoted, for sure. Small Wine Shop doesn’t have a physical location anymore, but we have a lot of incredible friends in the business and we are partnering with all of them to do these really fun, new-venue wine events,” Pell says. “We’ve seen that people love to come out for these events, they love the community and seeing the same people and meeting new people. And we can still provide that.”
A new brick-and-mortar for Small Wine Shop is not in the foreseeable future, Pell says.
“We’re not thinking about that at the moment. The economic pressures are the same. We want to serve customers in this way for now,” she says.
For tickets and information on future events and the wine club, visit SmallWineShop.com.
Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com. Follow on IG: @BenCrandell.
