Today we’d like to introduce you to Sonya Villegas Kelsen.
Sonya, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in the restaurant business working under my father, chef/owner of a number of restaurants in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Made my way to California to follow my passion for wine where I worked for a number of fine dining establishments, then became a certified sommelier. Through a lot of hard work, I found my way into fine wine distribution then worked for a number of exceptional Napa Valley wineries as a sales and marketing manager. In 2009 I started my own sales and marketing consulting company where I helped family-owned boutique wineries get set up with distributor partners.
My Husband Mike Kelsen and I opened Colony Wine Merchant in late 2014. We chose downtown Anaheim as we fell in love with the small town sense of community and historic charm. We wanted to celebrate community by creating an environment where guests felt like we were welcoming them into our home. We also wanted to celebrate Anaheim’s history as the very first wine growing (for commercial sale) region in California. Yes, before Napa and Sonoma there was Anaheim. I feel very blessed to bring my years of experience under one roof.
Colony Wine Merchant started out as a wine bar and fine wine retailer then it turned into (what we affectionately call) an accidental restaurant where guests not only enjoyed exceptional wine, craft beer and artisan cheese, but seasonal delectables and menu staples like the Colony Grilled Cheese (slow braised short rib, Gruyere, truffle cheddar grilled on fresh baked sourdough). We also hosted a number of winemaker dinners, wine and cheese pairing glasses and private events (showers, birthdays, networking, intimate weddings, etc.).
With the pandemic, we have changed our focus to retail, take out and delivery. We continue to celebrate the small family-owned producers (wine, beer, cheese, accouterments) as well as make some Colony favorites for take out. Our current offerings can be found at colonywinemerchant.com.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Small business and smooth do not go hand in hand. My husband wrote a song years ago that states, “the struggle is the best part of getting somewhere”. Those lyrics ring true now more than ever. Fortunately, my husband and I were self-employed for years before we opened a brick and mortar so we were familiar with risks and ups and downs.
Some of the superficial struggles where things like construction delays (1-year delay in opening), our next door neighbor had a leak and flooded our bar and damaged our custom wine cabinets, etc. The more nerve wreaking struggles where our doubts, will anyone walk through our doors, will the community understand our purpose, will we survive year 1 then 2 then 3? Now we have a whole new struggle but we are getting through it.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Colony Wine Merchant story. Tell us more about the business.
We celebrate family-owned producers that farm in a sustainable manner whether it be wine, beer, cheese, produce or proteins… We support family-owned local business whenever possible.
I have forged a number of wonderful relationships with people in the wine industry whom I admire. I am proud to say that the wines you find on our shelves and wine list are made by people I respect and made in a manner that respects the earth, creatures and people.
Our guests have always said that what sets us apart from other wine bars is they feel like we are welcoming them into our home and we are serving them from the heart. Everything we offer our guests is what we eat, drink and enjoy ourselves. We prepare, serve, buy and sell from the heart,
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I have never given much thought to luck. I do however give a lot of credit to prayer, visualizing, speaking out and writing down what you want. Thoughts become reality. My longing to be in the wine industry was a thought that I put a lot of energy and hard work towards. Colony Wine Merchant was a vision that played over and over in my head, then it became a reality.
Contact Info:
- Address: 280 S Lemon St
Anaheim CA 92805 - Website: colonywinemerchant.com
- Phone: 657-208-1860
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: colonywinemerchant
- Facebook: Colony Wine Merchant
- Yelp: Colony Wine Merchant
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