Northeast Portland should ready itself for endless days of wine and roses. A new wine and flower shop named Dogwood is set to bloom in the Alberta Arts District.
Dogwood is located adjacent to the Alberta Rose Theatre at 4932 N.E. 30th Avenue. For the past several years, the storefront was home to Bristlecone, a vintage clothing store.
Dogwood is the dream of recent San Francisco ex-pats Brant Ozanich and Gabriella “Gabby” Terracciano. They plan to open Dogwood’s doors in April, the same month they are getting married.
“We’ll place a sign in the window that says, “we know we just opened, but we’re getting hitched now,’” Terracciano said.
Ozanich and Terracciano each spent time studying in France while attending San Francisco State University. They hope to bring a little of that Old World vibe to Dogwood.
“We want the shop to feel like a place you’d stumble upon in the back streets of Paris or a village in Provence. A place where you can grab a bottle of wine and flowers for your kitchen table,” Ozanich said.
Ozanich brings considerable experience to Dogwood’s wine program. For the past few years, Ozanich worked in the San Francisco market as a sales representative for Chambers & Chambers Wine Merchants, a fine wine importing and distribution company.
Before that, Ozanich worked with Italian and French wines as a certified sommelier and wine buyer at Bay Area restaurants, including A16 and The Morris. He also owned Vino Promiscua, an online wine store showcasing obscure wines from places like Croatia and Georgia.
While Dogwood’s focus will reflect his experience with European wines, Ozanich says wines from his new home will be well represented.
“I got to know several Oregon producers while working in San Francisco, and I especially love Brick House,” Ozanich said. Ozanich also worked the 2020 harvest for ROCO Winery in Newberg.
Ozanich says his Oregon section will showcase what he describes as “up and coming” grape varieties like gamay noir, aligoté and Grüner Veltliner.
“I’ve also been speaking with Sam Parra about his tempranillo and albariño wines,” Ozanich said.
Dogwood’s wine sales will initially be limited to off-premises, meaning customers will be limited to buying bottles for home consumption. As COVID-19 regulations ease, Ozanich and Terracciano plan to apply to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission for the licenses needed to offer in-store wine tastings, classes and on-site consumption.
On the flower side of Dogwood, Terracciano also brings quite a bit of experience to the table. Terracciano has been making wedding bouquets, baby shower arrangements, boutonnieres and the like for friends and family since she was 16-years old.
“Flowers have always been a symbol of life for me. They are here to be adored, loved, taken care of, but only for a short time. I find that so beautiful and romantic,” Terracciano said.
For the past five years, Terracciano created custom floral arrangements for her San Francisco clients while working as a human resources coordinator and benefits specialist for a primary care provider. Describing her personal style as “a bit wild and whimsical,” Terracciano says her favorite thing to do is learn what clients like by taking them flower shopping.
“My dream with Dogwood is to work with locally grown, women-owned flower farms. I want to encourage my clients to learn more about where the flowers come from, how and when they grow, what they look like in good health, and how to tend to them when they make it home. I think education is the greatest part of being a florist,” Terracciano said.
Terracciano also plans to eventually offer in-store floral arrangement classes that Ozanich hopes will occasionally overlap with wine drinking.
Although some people might question the wisdom of opening a retail store in Portland’s current pandemic climate, Terracciano and Ozanich see it as an opportunity.
“Building a place for the community to interact safely with one another is more important than ever right now. If we can open during this time, we will hopefully thrive during ‘normal times,’” Ozanich said.
I wouldn’t bet against Ozanich. With very little money and a lot of extra motor oil, he once managed to drive a 33-year old Yamaha XJ 650 Maxim motorcycle from San Francisco to New York City and back again. That’s the kind of tenacity that comes in mighty handy in retail these days.
-- Michael Alberty writes about wine for The Oregonian/OregonLive. He can be reached at malberty0@gmail.com. To read more of his coverage, go to oregonlive.com/wine.
The Link LonkFebruary 07, 2021 at 01:00AM
https://www.oregonlive.com/wine/2021/02/dogwood-brings-wine-and-flower-power-to-northeast-portland.html
Dogwood brings wine and flower power to Northeast Portland - OregonLive
https://news.google.com/search?q=Flower&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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