WineStyles

“What’s great about this business is that there are no unhappy customers,” laughed Angie Keck as she looked around her new store on Evansville’s east side. Angie and her husband, Jon, recently opened WineStyles in the busy Burkhardt Road shopping area. WineStyles demystifies the wine shopping experience by organizing wine by taste such as bold, fruity, mellow or crisp. Angie says that eliminates the pretentiousness and intimidation that can be associated with picking out a good bottle.

With the consumption of wine surpassing beer in the United States, the average wine drinker is still overwhelmed by the selection. “Some think the most expensive bottle is the best wine,” said Angie “but there are wonderful wines priced between $10 and $25.”

The Kecks were first introduced to WineStyles while shopping in the Chicago suburbs. “We fell in the love with the concept and wanted to bring a store to Evansville,” said Jon, “but we quickly found out that Indiana law prevents new retailers from moving in.” That’s when the Kecks decided to get creative. “We could open a wine grocer,” said Jon. With the blessing from the corporate office, Jon and Angie opened the first Wine Styles franchise that offers gourmet food items. Angie’s creative juices really started flowing then and she began designing gift baskets. “It’s gone over so well that the franchise wants other stores to do this,” said Angie. She has also designed realistic looking wine barrels to display her items. They are manufactured locally by Johnson Plastics. “Other manufacturers turned me away, but I just didn’t want to display these beautiful items on wire racks.”

The Kecks really struck gold when the former Executive Chef of the Petroleum Club visited the franchise. Walter Edwards now helps out on a part time basis. “He is so knowledgeable,” said Angie. “Now some people come in to buy a bottle and stay for an hour to learn about wine.”

The Kecks not only had to find a way around some roadblocks to bring the franchise to Indiana, but they needed help financing their dream. That’s when they sought assistance from the Southwestern Indiana Small Business Development Center. Advisors discussed the loan process and pointed the Kecks in the right direction. It took some persistence, but a loan package was finally approved.

WineStyles opened its doors the fall of 2006 and features 170 revolving world-class wines from unique labels, many are exclusive. The Kecks also offer a signature section which features several Indiana wines.