ROCKWALL —
Less than a year after debuting their first location at The Harbor, a local pair of Texas wine experts opened the doors to their new and improved KE Cellars Winery (KECW), located on The Square directly behind Joy Lutheran Church.
On June 8, Bill and Jennifer Norman, the owners of the very first franchised KECW, held the grand re-opening in honor of their customers, stating them as the main reason for the relocation.
“One of our biggest reasons to leave The Harbor was because the parking was so bad for our customers,” Norman said. “But now they can pull right up beside our house and run in and buy a bottle of wine real quick if they want to, instead of having to walk all that way and deal with the parking issue [at The Harbor].”
Norman also stated that they wanted to provide a better atmosphere than their previous location, and purposefully selected a house that they could then convert into a business.
“[The Winery] is no longer just another store. It’s more homey and laid back, and not as commercial feeling,” Norman said. “When [our customers] come in, we tell them to treat it just like their own home, and I believe they feel like they can here.”
Regina Kathy, a loyal customer of the Winery, favors the new location as well.
“I think that this location is much more personal and engaging. It really just invites you to come and stay awhile. This place is much more about coming in, enjoying the ambiance, and being a part of one big happy family,” said Kathy. “And since it’s on the square, you can come here and still explore the downtown area very easily if you wanted to.”
The foot traffic that The Square brings was another big selling factor for the Normans, and they have already noticed an increase in business.
“The downtown [traffic] is constant, where as at The Harbor it was just was just weekends,” Norman said. “Now that we’re down here, we will get steady business throughout the week.”
In addition to promoting local artists and musicians by featuring their work, KECW is also partnering with local businesses in order to provide a well-rounded offering to their customers.
“Zanatas and El Coyote Rojo will deliver food directly here to the winery,” Norman said. “[The customers] love that they can order from different restaurants, even if you’re in a group where some want Mexican and others want Italian, all while never having to leave the comfort of the winery.”
Norman believes that the new location will provide them opportunity to grow and provide new experiences to their customers.
“We have partnered up with Enjoy and, starting in August, are going to be offering pairing classes with food made by local chefs to go along with the wine tastings,” Mr. Norman said. “We are also in the process of converting the garage to be an extension of the [indoor] winery, so we will be able to entertain out there, as well as on our beautiful patio.”
Norman stated that, since opening their doors in August of 2011, the Winery has become a place of community, where strangers become friends and friends become family.
“We offer a laid back place where everybody can get to know each other, and so many of our customers have become friends through the winery,” Mr. Norman said. “On our opening last Friday night, there was probably 60 people here at any given time, and they all knew each other, but they knew each other because they met here at our store. Outside of that, they didn’t know a soul before we opened up our doors, and now they have all become such good friends. I believe our store really brings people together.”
Local News
Related Photos
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KE Wine Cellars offers hundreds of wine and varieties from all over Texas Emma Mills / Herald-Banner
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KE Wine Cellars now offers wine tastings at $5 for five different wines. Emma Mills / Herald-Banner
Discussion
KE Wine Cellars relocates to downtown to help patrons
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