Today we’re excited to be connecting with Sonya Villegas Kelsen again. If you haven’t already, we suggest you check out our prior conversation with them here.
Sonya , always such a pleasure connecting with you and thank you for sharing your stories, insights and inspiring messages with our community. We’re looking forward to getting the download and what you have been up to since our last interview, but first can you briefly introduce yourself to folks who might have missed the prior conversation.
My husband Mike and myself founded Colony Wine Merchant in late 2014 in the heart of downtown Anaheim. Many think of Disney, The Ducks or the Convention Center when they think of Anaheim but their is a magical historic downtown area full of independently owned small businesses. You will find quaint bars and restaurants surrounded by historic homes. The community is amazing and we felt at home as soon as we opened our doors.
Colony Wine Merchant is a place to enjoy sustainably produced wine, great craft beer and seasonally inspired bites. It is also a great in-house and online shop!
Awesome, so we reached out because we wanted to hear all about what you have been up to since we last connected.
Thanks for the opportunity to catch up since our last interview. We just got back form a two week break. We close the first part of January every year to give our team a chance to rest as well as give us an opportunity to explore new wineries. We spent some time in Napa and Sonoma meeting amazing vintners and tasting great wine. We cannot wait to introduce them to our guests and wine club. We also take this time to re-imagine the new year. 2025 will hold a lot of opportunity for change and improvement. We are always looking for ways to improve the guest experience whether it be through events such as wine tasting and classes or introducing new menu items. We are also looking forward to hosting more private events. Our lounge is just lovely for showers and receptions so that will be a big focus for us.
We also hit a big milestone since we last connected. Colony Merchant turned celebrated 10 years in business in December! It was a hell of a party!
We have now arrived at one of our favorite parts of the interview – the lightning round. We’ll ask you a few quick questions to give us all some fun insights about you.
- Favorite Movie: Casa Blanca
- Favorite Book: Unreasonable Hospitality
- Favorite TV Show: The Lost Kitchen
- Sweet or Savory: BOTH!
- Mountains or Beach: That is a hard one but I will got for mountains.
- As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up: A dinner party host
- French Fries or Onion Rings: Onion rings
- Chuck Rhodes or Bobby Axelrod: Another hard one. I can’t choose!
- Favorite Breakfast Food: Solis Bagels
What do you want people to remember about you and your brand? What are some of things that you feel are most important, unique, special, etc?
Colony Wine Merchant isn’t just a wine bar, it is community. We have seen first dates that turned into marriages then turned into families. We have hosted celebrations of accomplishments and celebrations of life. We have high-fived some guests and have cried with others. At the end of the day I think we will be remembered as a place people called their second home or their third place, not just a wine bar.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://colonywinemerchant.com
- Instagram: colonywinemerchant
- Facebook: Colony Wine Merchant
- Yelp: Colony Wine Merchant
Image Credits
Viby Creative
