Red Bank Wine, one of Mayfaire Town Center’s first tenants when phase one of the Wilmington development opened in 2004, will relocate later this month after 17 years in business.

Owners Eric and Sara Copeland have purchased a 2,100-square-foot space at Bradley Creek Station, an 80,000-square-foot office and retail complex developed by SAMM Properties at 5815 Oleander Drive.  

After several years in wine sales during the late 1990s, Eric Copeland dreamed of opening his own wine shop. Though it was a longshot that Mayfaire’s original developers would lease to a local startup, Copeland managed to sell them on his idea and was the only local business to be granted a lease.

He chose the smallest possible space with the best visibility, right at the front entrance of the town center at 1001 International Drive and directly next to Starbucks (now home to a location of Drift Coffee & Kitchen). 

With only 1,052 square feet to work with, space has been an issue for Red Bank almost from the start. 

“In the retail world, that’s like trying to sell out of a closet,” Eric Copeland said. “Despite the great location, the size of the space has always kept us from being able to do some of the things we’d like to do.”

When the Copelands were unable to successfully renegotiate their lease with Mayfaire in January of this year, they opted to terminate and seek a larger location.

“That was the catalyst for change,” Eric Copeland said. “It was not an easy decision, but we have a very loyal client base, and our entire staff is feeling very positive about the move.”

With more than double the retail space, the Bradley Creek Station store will have double the inventory as well, spread out among two showrooms. There will be a 25-foot quartz bar, where tastings and classes can be held, as well as a glass-walled wine room known as “the vault,” where super premium bottles will be showcased. 

Demand for wine delivery has increased so much since 2020 that the Copelands ended up leasing warehouse space to support Red Bank’s delivery service throughout the pandemic. That part of the business remains very strong, said Eric Copeland, and the new location will allow everything to be back under one roof. 

“We’ve worked very hard, and we’ve been very fortunate,” Eric Copeland said. “This is something we’ve been talking about for a while and when opportunity knocked, we decided to make the move.”

Red Bank Wine will be open at Mayfaire Town Center through Aug. 28 and is expected to be open at its new location by Sept. 1. 

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