We recently connected with Kelly Brown and have shared our conversation below.

Kelly , appreciate you joining us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

Cavelier is about creating a space within my community that fosters inclusiveness when it comes to your choice of drink. Being social doesn’t have to be only about drinking alcohol, but about creating connection and sharing moments. It was very important to me to choose a name that gave a nod to the history of my community, Port Washington. When doing research into the history of Port Washington, I came across the name Rene Robert Cavelier, who was one of the first European explorers to discovered Port Washington. I was drawn to the name, but also the idea of exploring. Cavelier is about exploring new flavors, whether that be a carefully curated cocktail or a new wine you’ve never tried. It can also be about exploring non-alcoholic drinks and the idea of still being part of the experience without needing the alcohol. Cavelier is a space to take in the breathtaking views of Lake Michigan and explore the relationships you have with the people across the table from you.

Kelly , 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?

I opened my first business, a retail shop, over four years ago wanting to create a space for connection. Coming from a B2B career, I craved the opportunity to building relationship with my customers and be a larger part of my community.
When I started my first business, I drank alcohol less often, turning to one glass of wine. I want to go out and have a drink and experience the nightlife, but not in a traditional bar scene. I wanted to create a bar that is more about the experience and the view, than the alcohol. I am very passionate about creating experiences for people to gather and connect with each other regardless of whether that is over an alcohol or non-alcohol beverage. I get to support people’s decisions to not drink in a way that makes them feel part of the experience.

Cavelier is a wine bar with an additional focus on zero proof cocktails. We aim to transform the meaning of “socialize” to be about the experience and the destination instead of solely about alcohol. The zero proof cocktail menu is well thought out and the wine list provides an opportunity for customers to explore wines of the world that they won’t find in the local grocery store or restaurants.

I am very proud of what we have created since the doors opened at Cavelier in May 2024. Customers thanking us for creating a space they can feel comfortable in and feel they can still socialize without the alcohol or the pressure. We have become the go-to place for date nights, girls night out, company outings, new event experiences, and simply a place to come enjoy the views over a drink. I look forward to continuing to grow Cavelier as a destination and welcoming even more travelers!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Being present and leaning in. Within 6 months of opening my first business (a retail brick and mortar), I joined our local Main Street board of directors. My whole reason for opening a physical store was to truly be part of the community. Joining the board to give my time to help build the downtown seemed like the best way to start. It has offered me a ton of opportunities to build relationships with business owners, building owners, city officials and community members. I firmly believe in getting involved in your community and giving your time to help support it.

Being well-known in the community aided in forming a strong reputation for Cavelier in the market. Telling our story through local media, social media and our website has helped get customers interested in visiting Cavelier. As soon as they visit, they make plans to come back. The care we put into the list of wine offerings and creating expertly crafted cocktails, as well providing a welcoming and personalized experience, are what customers fall in love with. Word of mouth continues to be a great source of building our reputation in the market.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

The biggest pivot I made in life was when I decided to make a drastic change in my career. I am an achiever and had a traditional career path planned out for my life, which was to attend business school and get a great job in a corporation that would allow me to continue to climb the ladder. Although I had a very successful career and was given opportunities to take on new roles and challenges, it always felt like something was missing. I applied to other companies throughout the years thinking it was just the company. I read personal growth books, volunteered, joined a non-profit board and still didn’t feel like I was finding my “passion”. I decided to invest in a personal growth conference in the summer of 2019. It was truly motivational and although it didn’t give me the “answer”, it fired me up to finally pivot. It was two months after the conference that it dawned on me during a road trip back home that I always wanted to own my own store when I was little. That dream got pushed to the side thinking it wasn’t practical. After spending 11 years in the corporate world (on my original path), I decided it was time to at least start the process of creating a business plan and see where it took me. While I kept my job, I spent the next 3 months researching, talking to people in my network that had started a business and connected with the small business development center. I kept getting signs and nudges to keep moving forward. By January 2020, I established an LLC and was determined that I would open my first brick and mortar retail store that year. COVID-19 created a bit of a setback, but thankfully I had done so much mindset work and physical work in building this business that there was no way I wasn’t going to open that year. By June 2020, I opened the doors and although it was a specially challenging time to open a business, I don’t regret it and never looked back!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cavelierwinebar.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cavelierwinebar/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cavelierwinebar
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/cavelier-wine-bar-port-washington?osq=cavelier+wine+bar

Image Credits

Laura Couture Photography
Northwoods Creative + Marketing