
Laurie Park
How did your business begin?
I love wine. I love to try new wines and love to hang out with friends. Girlfriends introduced me to a self-serve wine bar in Mt. Pleasant several years ago that quickly became my favorite spot. I was so enamored with the concept, I started thinking on how to recreate it in Camden. An old bank building came on the market, and that developed into my vision of Broad & Vine. I am a historic restoration devotee, so we worked with architects to restore a fabulous building. I also wanted to make wine more interactive and less intimidating — more of a fun experience to be shared.
What do you like best about your line of work?
What I love most about my business are the people, from my hard-working staff that has become my second family, to my customers who come from far and wide. Whether they are beginner wine drinkers or connoisseurs, everyone will have the opportunity for a new wine experience at Broad & Vine.
What is your biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge has been the pandemic. Trying to open a new business during COVID seemed totally impossible at the time. I had already been working on a self-serve wine bar concept before 2020, so we didn’t have to change much in order to adapt. Each customer is responsible for their own wine glass and individual wine selection, so it is already a controlled environment. Thankfully we have seen a steady increase in customer traffic since we opened in February 2021. People are ready to get back to normal and enjoy going out.
What is your favorite pastime?
My favorite pastime is traveling! I am always ready to go on a new adventure. My husband and I were wine tasting in the Willamette Valley in Oregon in March 2020 when our world started to shut down from COVID. We are slowly getting back into traveling again. We went to some amazing wineries in Provence in the south of France this past September. This April we went to the Mediterranean to visit some places we’ve never been to — Malta and Sicily, to sample their wines! Next year we’re off to Portugal.