We were lucky to catch up with Steffini Bethea recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Steffini, thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I had recently been laid off from my pharmaceutical sales job and decided to take a trip to Spain. I always enjoyed wine but for the most part, I only drank wine that I considered “safe”. I stuck with Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot etc. While in Spain, I decided to venture out of my comfort zone and try new varietals. I fell in love with the red fruit and the subtle savory fruit flavor of tempranillo wine and the intensity of the fruity and herbal notes of garnacha. I was hooked. There was no turning back. From that point forward, I started trying a new varietal every time that I drank wine. Eventually, I realized that I was going to have to go back to work, somewhere. With wine being my new love, I took a job at a wine bar to learn even more. After 4 months on the job, I had the audacity to believe that I too, could own and operate a wine shop. So I stepped out on faith, found a location, got a license, bought some wine, hung a shingle and opened up the Purple Corkscrew. And just like that, I had gone from selling drugs to alcohol.

Steffini, 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?

There is a saying, “Detroit Hustles Harder.” I was raised in Detroit, Michigan. After high school, I went to the University of Houston where I majored in biology. After college, I became a pharmaceuticals sales rep and I also owned a “Ladies Only” fitness center. After selling my fitness franchise and being laid off from my pharmaceutical sales job in 2009, I took a trip to Spain and discovered that I enjoyed wines other than the typical varietals. I became intrigued. Instead of getting back into the pharmaceutical business, I took a job at a local wine bar to learn all that I could about wine. During my few short months on the job, I noticed that Black people and people of color were always surprised when they saw me, a Black woman in wine. I came to realize that there was only Black owned wine shop in Metro Atlanta. I instantly saw the need for more Black representation in the wine world, I went into “Detroit Hustle” mode and opened up the Purple Corkscrew.

Starting a wine business was one of the most difficult things that I had done at that time. I had experience owning a fitness business, I had extensive sales experience, I had minimal experience working in a wine shop and I knew very little about wine. I had no outside funding. There were little to no people of color in this space at the time so I had no mentors, no one to refer to. Fortunately, I knew what I didn’t know. So, instead of “winging it”, I went to every wine class, every trade show and made friends with some amazing wine distributors that helped me learn the trade. I simply immersed myself in to everything wine and became one of the two Black owned wine shops in Metro Atlanta in 2012.

I learned early on that it was very important to offer impeccable customer service. Customers were forgiving of my initial limited wine knowledge because of our customer service. I believe that great customer service and a extensive selection of good wine, sets the Purple Corkscrew apart from other wine shops that have been open longer.

I once read that it takes at least 10,000 hours of doing a job to become an expert at it. I have spent 24 hours a day for the past 10 years in this business with wine always being on my brain. Although this job may seem sexy to some, it is a very mentally intensive job. People see myself and my staff with a glass of wine in our hands but they may not realize that we have tasted over 50 wines that week to determine what wine is best for our customers. Or, they may not realize that we had to take dozens of cases of wine and empty boxes to the recycling center or that we may have had a couple of slow days in a row. Being an entrepreneur, means that you only get to eat what you kill. My Detroit hustle, has kept me eating for 10 years.

I am proud of the relationships that I have made and the relationships that I have fostered. I am proud of being a pioneer in this business. I am proud that people of all races solicit and respect my business. I am most proud of my staff of 4 amazing Black women that are as passionate about wine as I am. I am happy to offer a space where people can come and enjoy a flight of wine or buy bottles to go without feeling intimidated because we take the time to meet our customers wherever they are on their wine journey.

Have you ever had to pivot?

The beginning of the pandemic created a time of uncertainty for all businesses. I initially thought that my business would be interrupted for 30 days at the most. We decided to have a $99 wine case special. Surely, 1 case pf wine would take our customers through the month. Little did we know, almost 2 1/2 years later, we still have to be prepared to pivot because of Covid.

Prior to the pandemic, our customers were able to relax in our shop and enjoy a flight of wine as well as purchase bottles of wine to take home. Two weeks into the pandemic in 2020, we realized that we would not be able to allow customers inside the Purple Corkscrew. As a result, we started offering call in, curb side pick up service. We changed to a new business model. With the new model, customers were able to call in and place their order and the staff would shop for the customers. Once the orders were ready, the customers would pull in curbside and we would place their orders outside for “no contact” pick up.

Initially, I was concerned that not having face to face contact with customers would have a negative effect on business. It turned out that we got to know our customers even better. Customers had more time to talk and we had more time to better learn their palates. Because customers were drinking more at home, they were also more willing to experiment and try new wines.

Now that business is back open as normal, we have found that our customers have even more confidence in our ability to introduce them to their next exciting bottle or glass of wine.

How’d you meet your business partner?

I met Racquel McCreary in the Fall of 2013. Racquel is not only the manager of the Purple Corkscrew but she is my right hand woman. Racquel was a new customer of mine with vast wine knowledge. I was looking for some temporary help in the shop and I asked Racquel if she’d be available to help out in the shop for a couple of months, Well, almost 120 months later, Racquel is still with me at the Purple Corkscrew. Racquel not only brought a wealth of wine knowledge to the Purple Corkscrew but her accounting background as well as her event planning background filled a void. As the manager, she has trained our amazing staff and keeps the shop running smoothly.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.purplecorkscrew.com
• Instagram: purplecorlscrewwine
• Facebook: purplecorkscrew
• Twitter: purplecorkscrew

Image Credits
Background artwork done by Britton Farrell