New Craft Beer, Wine Bottle Shop To Open On Oleander Drive

By Cece Nunn, posted Jan 16, 2015

When Stephen Henson opens a bottle shop that serves craft beer and wine later this year on Oleander Drive, the establishment will join a growing list of local businesses that have tapped into a booming industry.

The Porters Neck resident said he has signed a lease for a more than 1,600-square-foot building at 4718 Oleander Drive with plans to open a store and bar by April.

Henson said it was tough to find a location because of zoning laws that regulate bars. In November, Wilmington City Council tabled a land use code amendment that would have eased those restrictions.

But during his search, assisted by broker Glenn Imboden of Coldwell Banker Commercial Sun Coast Partners, Henson found the Oleander Drive building attractive for a variety of reasons, he said. Its location, adjacent to a popular shortcut from College Road to Oleander and close to Trader Joe’s, was one, as well as its 1940s and 50s design.

The property used to be a gas station, listed in Wilmington city directories from the 1950s as Watson’s Esso Servicecenter.

“This place has a lot of character,” Henson said. “I think a retail location is really what the place needs to start driving in the business.”

The property has been owned by members of the Watson family for decades, according to Henson and New Hanover County property tax records, which list the most recent selling price as $120,000 in 1989.

Broker Bob McKoy of Network Realty represented the landlord in the lease to Henson, who said he did not want to disclose the lease price.

Henson said his plans for the business, which he is tentatively calling Craft at the Station (“I may end up changing it,” he said), include a fairly large bar that serves some wine but mostly craft beer, a tasting area, a patio and retail space.

While he has been working most recently as an office manager for a local physical therapy clinic, Henson said he used to own a bar in Greensboro.

Henson said his new business will be similar to Fermental, a retail beer store and wine shop at 7250-B Market St., and he plans to reach out to local breweries about the possibility of serving their beers and to local makers of beer accessories, such as Freaker USA.

As Henson progresses with his plans for Oleander Drive, craft beer and wine is expected to continue to be at the forefront of discussions among business and government leaders.

The Wilmington Regional Marketing Initiative, a combined effort started by local economic development organizations as a way to market New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties, has identified industries such as craft breweries as targets for potential job creation.

The owners of Hey! Beer Bottle Shop said they plan to open their business on Wrightsville Avenue in late January.

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