Great. Another chain business in Raleigh to funnel our hard dollars out of the local economy.

Brier Creek opened, what, 2 years ago…and no local merchants TRIED to fill the demand for a wine store out there. Meanwhile the locally-owned Angus Barn continues to pack them in every night of the week while national chain Sullivans has its lulls.

Fact of the matter is the store is a franchise that is locally owned. The owners live here in the Brier Creek area and support the local economy.

Hard for many local wine shops to compete with a national chain. Even Carolina Wine Co. is lacking in its offerings and its gigantic. I love helping the local business too but when you start talking differences of $5-$10 per bottle it is hard to choose the locals.

There’s plenty of locally-owned wine shops in Durham if you want to help a fully-local business; Wine Authorities and Parker & Otis come to mind. I’m sure Raleigh has plenty, too.

This, though, is part and parcel of why my wife and I never drive down to Brier Creek. Hundreds of acres of shopping yet there’s something like, what, one or two non-franchise businesses between the various shopping centers? It’s nausea-inducing.

This store is a franchise; however, it is locally owned by a Raleigh-native and her husband who chose to return to the area from Florida to open their store and raise their sons in a great community. For my part, with the economy the way it is…I would much rather spend my money at a store like this that is customer-friendly and knows not only my “wine styles”, but the names of my family and where I work, and cares enough to ask about them when I walk through their door. Thank you, David and Tracy, for your smiles and well-wishes, and all the best to you in 2009!