Alcohol free venue opens downtown
Jake Spitzack
Staff Writer
A new venue that aims to have the same atmosphere as a friendly neighborhood bar – but without the alcohol – opened recently at 24 7th St. W., in the Hamm building. Lucille’s Bottle Shop and Tasting Room offers non-alcoholic beers, wines, spirits and mocktails and events such as mixology, and wine and cheese nights. The space can also be rented for private events.
Co-founder Alexandra Zauner has been alcohol free for 10 years. She quit drinking at age 24 with the help of her late grandmother Lucy, for whom the business is named.
“I think what’s so cool is that so many people are embracing sober curiosity because they feel like there’s more for them out there and they’re realizing that alcohol doesn’t have to be a part of their story, whether they identify as sober or as an alcoholic,” she said. “I think we’re at a point now where we don’t need to label it and people can just say, ‘I don’t drink, or I’m not drinking tonight’ and it doesn’t necessarily mean they have a problem…. At Lucille’s we don’t care if you’re sober, sober curious, or you just saw that our event sounded fun and you wanted to come.”
Zauner began exploring sites for Lucille’s last year after bringing her friend Christina Arnt on board. She’s been sober for two years. After about six months of struggling to find a suitable location, the two began operating pop-up events at businesses throughout the Twin Cities. In January they launched a website and began shipping products nationwide. Finally, in March, they got their brick-and-mortar space through the Downtown Alliance’s Grow St. Paul program, which provides short-term free leases. Licensing delays kept Lucille’s from opening until July.
Zauner shared more about her journey to sobriety and creating an alcohol-free venue.
“I was kind of in this cycle of going out and maybe having too much to drink and then waking up the next morning and maybe not following through on things that I had committed to, and I just finally realized that even though drinking is such an ingrained part of our culture, something had to change,” she said. “Initially when I quit, I didn’t necessarily want to because I was pretty young, and everyone around me was consuming alcohol… I did an AA program for a while up until the pandemic and then realized I was really just seeking connecting with people whether they were sober [alcohol-free] or not, in a place where alcohol wasn’t at the root of the connection.”
No major work was done to the approximately 1,000 square foot space although it was outfitted with a new bar top made of repurposed barn wood, and a custom-made farm table that seats about a dozen. The shop is stocked with canned cocktails and non-alcoholic (NA) beers ranging from sours to IPAs to Belgian wheats, and more. It also has nonalcoholic spirits, some of which replicate the taste of traditional ones and some of which are created to have their own unique flavor; the same is true for its NA wines.
The house-crafted mocktails are only offered at special events in the shop or at pop-up events throughout the city because of licensing issues due to the bar space having no plumbing. If Zauner and Arnt decide to stay long-term they’ll make the investment to install plumbing and obtain the proper licensing. Currently, people can only order drinks made at the bar 4-6 p.m. on Fridays, when free tastings are held. Folks are welcome to bring food in from anywhere if they purchase a drink.
“Growing up, my grandma told me I had what’s called personality plus, and you’ll notice it in our branding, we have plus symbols,” said Zauner. “Personality plus is the unique things that make you who you are, and I feel like we all have them and don’t require alcohol to tap into them…. You can find confidence within yourself, but it takes a willingness to explore what you already have within you and realizing you don’t need something outside of yourself to access it. For some people that resonates with them, but they also feel like alcohol will still remain in their life, and that’s okay, too. I think it’s recognizing everyone’s journey doesn’t have to be the same.”
Lucille’s is open Wednesdays, 2-6 p.m., Thursdays, 2-7 p.m., Fridays noon-7 p.m., and Saturdays 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. Hours may be expanded soon. For more information, call 612-208-3377 or visit lucillesbottleshop.com.
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