Today we’d like to introduce you to Terra Dunham.
Hi Terra, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Back in 2018, I was running the Chicago Marathon with some girlfriends. I’m originally from St. Pete but was living in Denver at the time. The girls kept asking what it would take for me to move back to St. Pete, and we joked about creating a business together – it would have books and wine and flowers and coffee and all our favorite things. What started as an idyllic day dream woke me up one night soon after with the realization that it didn’t have to be just a dream and immediately set to action. I sold my house, quit my job, and was back in St. Pete three months later with a business filing for Book + Bottle. A year of work went into securing a lease, developing a business plan, securing funding, and building out the space! Things were progressing nicely until our grand opening was disrupted by the Corona virus outbreak.
We ended up opening our doors on March 17, 2020, just in time to be shut down by the city three days later. The business pivoted quickly, and we set up a way to get books and wine delivered to people’s doorsteps – I set up a rudimentary online store and spent about 8 hours a day driving around St. Pete making deliveries. That hustle allowed us to keep our lease intact and pay our bills during the two months of closures. We were able to slowly start reopening in May, began hiring, and adding more and more goodies for our customers. It’s been a total whirlwind of a first year, but we made it to our 1st birthday last month! Business is great and we’re so happy to be established here in St. Pete!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Heck no! A first year in business is always crazy, but we got to open during Covid. The main struggle was never knowing when the government was going to change the rules. Each day we worried we’d be forced to close. We never knew how much inventory to bring in. As the media reported on the crisis, people would alternately come out in droves or stay inside for weeks at a time, so it was incredibly hard to know how to staff. I ended up working the majority of our open hours myself for quite some time which was exhausting. Every time one of our team members didn’t feel well, we would shut down the business until we all received negative Covid tests. The supply chain was incredibly unreliable, so often our products would be extremely delayed so it was hard to develop consistency. It was the same mayhem that every business went through during covid.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Book + Bottle?
Book + Bottle is a highly curated book store and wine store, with a delightful wine and coffee bar. If you’re looking for a place to read, spruce up your book collection, take a class, enjoy a bottle of wine, work remotely, try new types of wine, chat with friends, learn something new, or just relax, Book + Bottle is the place for you. At Book + Bottle, we work hard to curate a thought-provoking and delightful reading, drinking, and shopping experience in a welcoming environment. We’re approachable, knowledgeable, and passionate about inspiring community and discovery right in our neighborhood. Books open our minds, boost our empathy, and increase our intelligence. Good wine challenges our expectations, comforts our souls, and transports us to other places. We invite you on this journey of exploration and discovery with us! We strive to keep our prices extremely reasonable so that amazing wine can be available to everyone.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success is creating a place where our customers feel so content that they continue to return and bring friends. One of the most rewarding parts of having Book + Bottle is to see the community that is being built. Friendships are being forged, discussions are being had, and people are growing and learning. They are happy, and that is such an amazing joy to get to be a part of.
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@bookandbottlestpete.com
- Website: bookandbottlestpete.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/book_and_bottle/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bookandbottlestpete
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIwOOUCaanJhawmj7KfRGwQ
Image Credits
Kristin Berry, The Dashing Ginger Seamus Payne
