Neighborhood Hops & Vine to open Homewood location

At Neighborhood Hops & Vine in Crestline Park, owner Chandler Busby is all about taking the “pressure and pretension” out of shopping for specialty beer and wine.

“A lot of people come and they’re embarrassed because they think that they’re going to be tested on their wine knowledge or somebody’s going to blow them off because they mispronounced something. We’re not into that,” Busby said. “I’m about as unsophisticated as they come, and I love kind of deflating some of the mystique that’s in wine.”

Busby plans to bring that same concept to a new location at 1712 28th Ave. S by the end of May. The Homewood Neighborhood Hops & Vine will stock locally made beers and wines, as well as a draft wall with 20 beers on tap for packaging.

“We can package a beer that you can’t normally get unless you go to a bar and get a pint,” Busby said.

Busby picks his brands based on personal relationships and getting good quality for the price tag, so he knows he can stand behind the products.

“In 15 years of being in the business, I met hundreds of people that sell wine or produce wine or import wine,” Busby said. “Even though there’s an ocean of bad wines out there, you don’t have to buy that. You can buy good wine and even better than that, you can buy good wine made by good people.”

The store has an off-premises liquor license, which means customers cannot have a glass of wine or pint of beer on-site. However, Busby said he plans to eventually get the zoning changes he needs for an on-premises license, which would allow Hops & Vine to host events, tastings and classes.

“Wine classes are highly sought after and I think that could be a large part of what we do,” Busby said.

The 28th Avenue South location is ideal for Busby because it’s close to downtown and evening work traffic. The 2,600-square-foot building is also nearly four times larger than his Crestline location, giving him extra space for storing products and an eventual classroom.

Despite having only a handful of parking spots in front of the new Hops & Vine, Busby described it as a “dream” parking situation. The store’s peak hours will be right after work, when many of the surrounding businesses will be emptying out. Without a restaurant nearby to compete for spots, Busby said he expects customers will easily be able to find parking.

The emphasis of Hops & Vine will be on providing fun and education for his customers. Busby said he enjoys helping people understand the language of wines and beers and translating what they want from a drink.

“We help interpret that good feeling they got from a wine,” Busby said. “Fun is the big word here. We’re just going to enjoy ourselves and not get too uptight or worried about different kinds of wine.”

Busby got started in the wine and beer business because of a single wine that “completely turned [his] head” 15 years ago. He wants to provide that same experience for his customers at the Homewood Neighborhood Hops & Vine.

“I’m looking to find a wine or beer that will over-deliver and bring the customer back because they were surprised at how good the wine was for what they paid,” Busby said.

To learn more, visit neighborhoodhopsandvine.com.