After nearly two years in the City of Williamsburg’s Arts District, Wine and Design has grown too big for its Bacon Avenue space, the owner said.
Jennifer Oberman fulfilled her longtime goal of owning a business when she opened Wine and Design in September 2012. The business, a franchise started by her cousin in North Carolina, hosts parties for groups who want to socialize while creating art.
Less than two years into operating in the City of Williamsburg, Wine and Design is moving out of the Arts District and into the Five Forks area of James City County to better attend to its growing popularity, Oberman said.
Wine and Design’s last day in the Williamsburg is today. It will reopen at 4548 John Tyler Highway on July 16, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for 4 p.m. July 19. In celebration of the new studio, Wine and Design will host discounted painting sessions July 18 and 19.
“We need a much larger space,” she said. “My space is way too small. Parking was a huge issue for me. Where I’m going, there’s parking for days.”
In her location on Bacon Avenue, Oberman shared a building with an Allstate Insurance office. The two businesses had a small parking lot, but Oberman said the majority of her guests had to park on the streets nearby. Because her business mainly operated in the evening hours, her customers often had difficulty finding parking because nearby homeowners also park on the street.
Oberman initially opened in Williamsburg to help grow the Arts District, where the city offers lower fees and taxes for businesses dealing in the arts. When it came time to expand, there was nowhere in the district she could move. So, Oberman began her search for an alternate location, and found her new business home in James City County.
“I just fell in love with the new space,” Oberman said. “There wasn’t another location that was large enough to expand into [in the Arts District.]. There’s just not a whole lot of space down there.”
The new location will hold 25 to 30 people in a private party room — almost doubling the size from the current space for 16 — and will have space for 40 people in the main studio, which is the same as in the Williamsburg space. Oberman said the new location has a large parking lot, so her customers will no longer have to battle homeowners in a search for on-street parking.
The business will still operate the same: canvases with pre-traced artwork, brushes and paints will be available to participants. Guests can still bring in their own food and beverages, and Wine and Design will still provide cups and corkscrews. The new location – like the Williamsburg spot – will not accept walk-ins; guests must schedule their painting session ahead of time.
Oberman said the new space also offers room for storage, which she did not have in the Williamsburg location. The extra room will allow her to keep a stock of wine bottles and barn wood for new painting classes.
Outside of the studio space, Oberman will also have a patio area for summertime classes outdoors and for parties to rent for special events and cocktail hours.
Oberman has received much support from James City County’s staff since expressing her interest in moving. The staff members she has worked with have been “super friendly” and welcoming to her move, and have helped her get all the permits she needs before opening.
“They have been fabulous,” she said.
For more information about Wine and Design, visit the studio’s website or Facebook page.
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