SAVOR ENCORE
Unmasking Opportunity
Pandemic forces partners to ‘pivot’ to new enterprises BY MARIE LEE
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classes as well as a coffee bar called Two Twins. Then Covid-19 crashed their party. But, to borrow that old phrase “when life hands you lemons … ,” the four found opportunity in catastrophe. Or, as Emily says, “we pivoted.” “When we saw the West Coast shut down and then the East Coast was shutting down, we knew it was coming,” she says. “Matt started spending hours upon hours upon hours developing an e-commerce website over the course of less than a week, and
we essentially launched Next Door online (nextdoorwinestore.com) and began doing wine delivery and pickup for customers.” Using The Stamped Robin’s strong socialmedia following, they let customers know that Next Door and The Stamped Robin were open for business. In addition to wine and spirits, they featured “create-your-owncocktail kits” with all the ingredients (minus the alcohol) and recipe cards for The Stamped Robin’s signature cocktails. During a period when people were isolated at home and could use a good libation or
Brian Powers
ast year The Stamped Robin, a popular Kalamazoo bar serving wine and craft cocktails, was ready to expand to “help people drink better at the end of the day,” says co-owner Matt Deering-Caruso. He and his wife and co-owner, Emily Deering-Caruso, who are 27 and 29, respectively, and partners Mack and Walker Chrisman, 28 and 26, began renovating the long-vacant space adjacent to their lounge at 128 S. Portage St. for a new retail shop called Next Door that would feature wines, vermouths, craft beers, tasting events and
16 | ENCORE NOVEMBER 2020
