A New Type of Wine Bar for Avenue C
Donation protected
ABOUT LOIS
Lois was born from one small idea: to bring great food and a creative approach to sourcing and serving wine to the neighborhood we love.
We believe that wine and food don’t have to be fancy, overwrought, or intimidating. That’s why Lois will serve creative house-made small plates, and all our wine will be on draft (that’s right!). Who says wine needs to be from a bottle? Keeping our wines on tap allows us to give customers tastes of the wine before they order, prevent any waste from a corked bottle, and best of all, keep prices low. Our menu will change seasonally, and each dish will be prepared and chosen to pair with each wine.
Lois is as much about community as it is about food and wine. We love Alphabet City, our adopted hood, and we wanted to create a place for our neighbors to gather, to eat, and drink. Alphabet City, traditionally part of the Lower East Side and dubbed “Loisaida” by its residents, retains a strong sense of community. Avenue C continues to be called Loisaida Avenue, and is the inspiration for naming the bar Lois--a nod to the neighborhood we love.
WHAT DO WE NEED?
We’ve got a lot of passion and a tiny space. All of our wine will be served by tap using an under-bar keg system, which will keep wine fresh and prevent oxidation. We know the idea of wine on draft seems unusual, but we’ve researched (a lot) and consulted industry experts to make sure we’re building a long-lasting system that will pour the best product and meet market needs. But because wine on draft is still rare, we’re looking to custom build our tap system and bar. Our pint-sized space means we’ll need to build something that maintains the integrity of the wine, while providing all the form and function of a stellar bar.
We need $20,000 to fabricate a beautiful bar that will house our custom tap system and be a focal point reflecting our dedication to wine on draft as a better way to serve and enjoy wine.
We’re offering some pretty fantastic gift options for every donation level. With each gift, we aim to include you in the experience that Lois offers, a taste of the passion that makes this project special.
OUR STORY
Hey there—Nora and Phoebe here. You might know one (or both) of us (lucky you!), but either way we’re going to tell you our story.
We met at a small girls’ high school in Cleveland Ohio, where we were in different grades, but had similar interests (French, Photography, and laughing out of turn in class). We reconnected during Nora’s senior year at Georgetown when Phoebe was living in DC and working (miserably) at a desk job that had nothing whatsoever to do with food.
Flash forward to New York City and Nora’s own exodus from a job in PR that had nothing to do with wine when, as luck would have it, Phoebe posted on Facebook about a position for a manager at ABC Wine Co., a small wine shop in the East Village, owned by David Hitchner. Phoebe was managing David’s craft beer bar down the street, ABC Beer Co. (in addition to her position as a cheesemonger at Bedford Cheese Shop) while finishing up her Masters degree in Food Studies from NYU. Nora had already decided she wanted to work in wine and was working as a harvest intern at Brooklyn Winery, but she jumped at the chance to learn about retail at ABC Wine Co., while also pursuing her sommelier degree. And, well, the rest is history.
We’re beyond excited to merge our loves of wine and food to create a beautiful space for people to learn and enjoy our favorite things. Lois is located right in between ABC Wine Co. and ABC Beer Co., which allows us to keep serving the neighborhood and community we love.
We are projecting to open our doors around February 15, 2015. Thank you so much in advance for any help or good thoughts you can send our way, and we hope to see you all in February!
Lois was born from one small idea: to bring great food and a creative approach to sourcing and serving wine to the neighborhood we love.
We believe that wine and food don’t have to be fancy, overwrought, or intimidating. That’s why Lois will serve creative house-made small plates, and all our wine will be on draft (that’s right!). Who says wine needs to be from a bottle? Keeping our wines on tap allows us to give customers tastes of the wine before they order, prevent any waste from a corked bottle, and best of all, keep prices low. Our menu will change seasonally, and each dish will be prepared and chosen to pair with each wine.
Lois is as much about community as it is about food and wine. We love Alphabet City, our adopted hood, and we wanted to create a place for our neighbors to gather, to eat, and drink. Alphabet City, traditionally part of the Lower East Side and dubbed “Loisaida” by its residents, retains a strong sense of community. Avenue C continues to be called Loisaida Avenue, and is the inspiration for naming the bar Lois--a nod to the neighborhood we love.
WHAT DO WE NEED?
We’ve got a lot of passion and a tiny space. All of our wine will be served by tap using an under-bar keg system, which will keep wine fresh and prevent oxidation. We know the idea of wine on draft seems unusual, but we’ve researched (a lot) and consulted industry experts to make sure we’re building a long-lasting system that will pour the best product and meet market needs. But because wine on draft is still rare, we’re looking to custom build our tap system and bar. Our pint-sized space means we’ll need to build something that maintains the integrity of the wine, while providing all the form and function of a stellar bar.
We need $20,000 to fabricate a beautiful bar that will house our custom tap system and be a focal point reflecting our dedication to wine on draft as a better way to serve and enjoy wine.
We’re offering some pretty fantastic gift options for every donation level. With each gift, we aim to include you in the experience that Lois offers, a taste of the passion that makes this project special.
OUR STORY
Hey there—Nora and Phoebe here. You might know one (or both) of us (lucky you!), but either way we’re going to tell you our story.
We met at a small girls’ high school in Cleveland Ohio, where we were in different grades, but had similar interests (French, Photography, and laughing out of turn in class). We reconnected during Nora’s senior year at Georgetown when Phoebe was living in DC and working (miserably) at a desk job that had nothing whatsoever to do with food.
Flash forward to New York City and Nora’s own exodus from a job in PR that had nothing to do with wine when, as luck would have it, Phoebe posted on Facebook about a position for a manager at ABC Wine Co., a small wine shop in the East Village, owned by David Hitchner. Phoebe was managing David’s craft beer bar down the street, ABC Beer Co. (in addition to her position as a cheesemonger at Bedford Cheese Shop) while finishing up her Masters degree in Food Studies from NYU. Nora had already decided she wanted to work in wine and was working as a harvest intern at Brooklyn Winery, but she jumped at the chance to learn about retail at ABC Wine Co., while also pursuing her sommelier degree. And, well, the rest is history.
We’re beyond excited to merge our loves of wine and food to create a beautiful space for people to learn and enjoy our favorite things. Lois is located right in between ABC Wine Co. and ABC Beer Co., which allows us to keep serving the neighborhood and community we love.
We are projecting to open our doors around February 15, 2015. Thank you so much in advance for any help or good thoughts you can send our way, and we hope to see you all in February!
Organizer
Nora O'Malley
Organizer
New York, NY
