By Cara Beth Lewis
At 11 am on this sunny February Friday, Cape Fear Vineyard and Winery’s team hosted a grand opening event for the newest addition at the Winery property – the Tipsy Toad Gallery. With words of appreciation and admiration from several speakers, the red ribbon was cut and the crowd of onlookers made their way inside the gallery to peruse the unique selection and enjoy refreshments.
The Tipsy Toad Gallery offers a variety of merchandise ranging from art to alcohol, clothing, accessories, and much more. The gallery certainly offers an entertaining shopping experience and something for everyone to enjoy. Judith Scott with Cape Fear Vineyard and Winery stated, “We are so excited to offer this to the community.” She added, “This has been a long time coming. We have hoped to do this since the Winery first opened.”
Mayor Sylvia Campbell described the new gift shop as a great place to shop for wedding and birthday gifts, or just for yourself. Chamber of Commerce President, Jonathan Langston, thinks it is great for men and children as well, as he shared that even his toddler is excited about the new shop!
Alex Munroe, owner of Cape Fear Vineyard and Winery and its neighboring businesses, explained that this idea really was brought to life because of customers. He said, “Our customers who visited the Winery started asking for t-shirts and other merchandise, so we started selling things like that in the restaurant, and it just grew from there.”
When Judith Scott addressed the crowd, she had many people to thank for the opening of this new business. She also introduced the staff of the Tipsy Toad: Grace Ann Munroe Phillips, Tina Clark, and Brooke Savage.
Alex Munroe proudly and excitedly shared that the business is partnering with several well-known artists to sell and display their work in the gallery – many of which are rare pieces. “To have the work of someone known all over is fantastic,” Munroe added. Henry Diltz, the photographer of Woodstock, even has photos displayed in the gallery. Read more about Henry Diltz in this previous article from BladenOnline: Henry Diltz.
Steven Goione is another partner of the Winery. He is a Marine Artist who will be working in his public gallery at the Tipsy Toad Gallery for the grand opening weekend. On social media, Cape Fear Vineyard and Winery said, “Come out and celebrate with us and meet Steve on Saturday, February 12th!”
Cape Fear Vineyard and Winery, The Cork Room, The Tipsy Toad Gallery, Cape Fear Distillery, and the other affinities that the property offers to provide a unique experience with “world-class accommodations,” according to Alex Munroe.
Visit the Cape Fear Winery properties at 195 Vineyard Drive in Elizabethtown.