It’s not every fine wine shop that will uncork your bottle and invite you to enjoy it at the bar. And few, if any, curators of craft beer will welcome your dog in while you peruse what’s new and notable. But North Raleigh’s Local 919 isn’t your average beer and wine shop — it’s local, and proud of it.
Founded by a group of friends who wanted to open the kind of place where they would hang out, Local 919 has quickly established itself as the place to gather with your crew … or to get to know new company.
Read on as co-owner and general manager Dana Clark gives us the buzz on Local 919.
Local 919 has multiple owners. How do you make it work?
We all saw the potential for this area and knew that locals were looking for a place to hang out. We are a group with varied careers and interests; because several stay behind the scenes, the only difficulty we encounter is when we don’t see eye to eye on business decisions. Compromise and voting ownership usually resolve any differences, but the shared vision — to give the community a place to come together — has never changed.
What does Local 919’s shared ownership offer to the local community?
Because we are also a part of the community, we are naturally engaged and like to be involved. We support the local swim team and the animal rescue organization; we provide gift baskets for local organizations that are also a part of the community. We recognized the potential for community in this area because we all live here, and it’s important that we give customers what they’re looking for and show support for the causes that are important to them — and us.
Do you have regulars, and what is the typical regular experience?
There are people who come in every Friday with a group of friends. This is “their place” before the weekend gets started. We have 20-somethings and a group of friends that spend their monthly game nights with us. Our trivia nights bring in big groups, and music on Saturdays gives exposure to local emerging artists. We have noticed that the ages for our events are trending younger, as trivia used to predominantly attract the over-50 crowd but now brings in many in their 20s — and we’re happy to see people of all ages making 919 their local hangout.
Do you host special events?
In addition to unique events like Friendsgiving and casual gatherings to watch the big game (that we’ve been known to open specially for), we also host Trivia with Sopo on Thursdays and Saturday Live Music! nights. We offer many free wine tastings each month and have started a wine education series that allows people to learn about specific regions and types of wine. As the wine manager, it’s exciting for me to help expose people to something they haven’t tried before.
Have you won any awards or accolades?
In the News & Observer’s Raleigh’s Best 2023, we won gold for Best Beer Selection and Best Wine Selection, silver for Best Bar/Tavern, and bronze for Best Date Night Spot. Also, Best New Bar in Raleigh Magazine’s Best Bars 2022 and Wake Living’s 2024 Readers’ Choice Award for Best Wine Shop.
Tell us about your beer and wine selection and why local is important.
We want to offer the beer North Raleigh is looking and asking for — whether local craft brews or hard-to-find and exclusive options. When it comes to wine, we’re able to provide some collector bottles that only small bottle stores can get, and we sell everything from a $5 can to a $900 bottle.
Co-owner and beer manager Wick Bajwa has an extensive knowledge of beers and access to taps that customers can order and pick up directly from (and return to) Local 919. For both beer and wine purchases, our staff can help with selection from our extensive inventory or the 15 beers on tap, 12 constantly changing wines, or spirits and cocktails served at the bar. We are also one of the only bottle shops that doesn’t have a corkage fee, so for the approximate 50% of people who buy and stay to imbibe versus those who buy and take home, this is a definite benefit.
What’s next for Local 919?
We recently introduced a monthly wine club, which will offer access to exclusive bottles that are not available in stores. As with any business, there is always room for improvement, but the community’s embrace of Local 919 has exceeded our expectations. Continuing to offer a great place to hang out, and hopefully to increase our reach to other neighborhoods, is where we remain focused.
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