Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Molly Moran. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Molly, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

I started my wine store in 2015 and rented space in a run-of-the-mill commercial building with condos on top and a strip of businesses on the ground floor. I chose the location because it was on my desired street in my beloved neighborhood, so even though it wasn’t a charming old building with lots of good stories, I took the plunge. Over the years, the space never felt quite right. Nothing exactly was wrong with it, but it didn’t have a lot of personality, and it was hard to carve out spaces within the large warehouse-like space.

My husband and I talked about one day buying a building for the shop, but it seemed like such a far-off dream. There’s not a lot of turnover on our street, and I was not interested in moving out of the neighborhood that had come to support us so well. As we were getting back on solid ground in late 2021, the 1900 commercial building on the corner of our street came up for sale. The retail space was slightly larger than what I had, plus it had apartments upstairs. I hesitated to even look at it because I didn’t want to be heartbroken when I couldn’t buy it.

My realtor took us to see it, and I knew as soon as I was in the space that I was going to buy the building. Turns out that under all the grime and disrepair, there was a full basement and an outdoor space. I could just see the parties I could host out in the wine garden.

So, in spring 2022, my husband and I took out a HELOC on our house to help pay for the down payment on the building that is now the permanent home of my wine shop. We spent almost seven years in the other space, and yet this building feels like the exact right home for us. The move came with all sorts of financial risks, both personal and professional. We worried whether our customers would follow us the three blocks. We worried whether we’d find tenants for the apartments upstairs. We worried about it being ours and ours alone. And yes, we’ve had to replace two furnaces, the gutters, the wiring, the flooring, and just about everything else, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Molly, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Years ago, I found myself at a friends’ house with a fantastic dinner and no more wine. “If only there were a place we could walk to and get good wine…” someone lamented. Right then, I decided I could open such a place.

After years in restaurants and wine retail, 2015 was my year to go out on my own. I created Table Wine so you don’t have to sift through all the noise of bad, cheap wine. I curate our selection to be both budget-friendly and exciting. Along with my husband Conor (all-time holiday staffer), I love everyday that we are a part of this thriving, welcoming neighborhood.

Our staff is a dynamic, fun group of people who each bring something special to our mix. We’re all here to help you find the right bottle.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I named my shop Table Wine to denote that we focus on affordable, everyday wines. I live in the same neighborhood as my shop, so I knew my demographics before I started my business, and I knew budget-conscious shopping was important. It was essential to me to show people that you can get great wine without spending a lot of money and that wine is accessible to everyone.

Building trust with people came through lots (and lots) of one-on-one interactions with my customers. For years, I was at the shop six days a week, so people knew it was me buying the wines and me picking them out for my customers. As we’ve grown and I’ve moved off the sales floor, I’ve done so with great care towards who is the person behind the counter. My staff works hard on maintaining the trust I built in those early years.

I know that wine can be an intimidating subject, so we offer tastings and classes to help connect with people in different ways. We’re friendly and have helpful notes throughout the store describing the wine. We consistently hear from people that they’ve never gotten a bad bottle from us. A lot of that comes down to me working tirelessly on curation and then all of us making sure the right bottle is going home with the right person.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I’m constantly reading and listening to podcasts that might help me grow as a small business owner. Two books that I recommend to everyone are Mike Michalowicz’s Profit First and Will Guidara’s Unreasonable Hospitality. Profit First taught me how to make more money from my business and how to be mindful about what money gets spent every week. Unreasonable Hospitality spoke to my fine-dining training and has proven to be so much fun for my entire staff to think of ways to delight and treat our customers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tablewinemadison.com
• Instagram: tablewineshop

Image Credits

Shanna Wolf