How owner, Chris Sarette, makes Frenchy’s Stand Out Amongst Beverage Competition in South End

Oct 28

Written By GoLive

Frenchy’s Sip and Shop is a love letter to beverage producers doing things the hard way around the world. They predominantly work with small, independent folks with passion for making memorable beers, wines, ciders, sakes, and everything in between. Drinks worth drinking, as they like to say. With a collection of over 700 natural wines and craft beers, from batches limited to hundreds of cases (not millions), their inventory is everchanging with new, small-batch spirits.

The name Frenchy’s is inspired by Chris Sarette’s ancestry. As a child enthralled in his French DNA, he became emersed in the culture any way he could. As a term of endearment, his childhood friends affectionately nicknamed him “Frenchy.”

Hailing from the West Coast, Sarette now calls Charlotte home. The vibrant South End neighborhood is where he and his partner first envisioned their dreams of a wine & bottle shop becoming a reality.

This month’s segment of Rebel Reader features a conversation between Rebel Rebel’s Kate Yates and Frenchy’s owner, Chris Sarette. Frenchy’s Sip and Pour is Charlotte’s newest bottleshop, and together, they’ll discuss his process and what makes Frenchy’s stand out from the beverage competition.

KY: What was the driving factor behind starting a business that focuses on an international product line?

CS: There are SO MANY good liquids out there. Offering 700 seems like a lot, but in the context of one tiny region like Champagne, France, having thousands of winemakers, it's a drop in the proverbial bucket. Our goal is to offer a little bit from a lot of places, in an effort to showcase the best of brewing and winemaking on a global scale.

KY: What has been the biggest surprise or hurdle in getting the business to its current state?

CS: Three months in, we're still learning a lot of course. Probably the single biggest surprise has been how popular we've been so far. It's literally the best problem to have, but it is a challenge in the sense of what it means from a staff level, from an inventory level (which is cash tied up), and from a wear-and-tear perspective. I feel utterly grateful and humbled that our neighbors here are enthused about what we've brought to the neighborhood.

KY: What advice would you offer young entrepreneurs with aspirations of starting their own business?

CS: I first went for a bank loan for the concept of Frenchy's 10+ years ago. I promptly got turned down for not having enough experience in my focus industry...which to be fair was 100% the case. But I went out and got a decade of beverage industry experience under my belt before trying again. I succeeded in bringing Frenchy's to life this time around, and I feel infinitely more confident in my ability to pull the concept of Frenchy's off now. It's the fifteenth brick-and-mortar business I've opened...but the first as owner.

KY: Any future plans/aspirations for Frenchy's that you are able to or willing to share with us!?

CS: Frenchy's itself is a scalable concept, 100%. I would be happy to look back a decade from now as the owner of two or three Frenchy's in North Carolina. As for other concepts...we certainly have a few ideas up our sleeves.

KY: Anything else that you'd like to share about what makes Frenchy's tick or the ownership behind the brand.

CS: I hope we get the chance to show you on a personal level what makes us tick here at Frenchy's. We have tons of weekly programming and special events that we highlight on our website at frenchysclt.com or on Instagram under the same moniker. Whether it's beer, cider, sake, wine, or even our expansive non-alcoholic selection, I like to think we have something for everyone here.

Photography by David Powell