- April 23, 2024
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Community. Connection. Curiosity. Conversation.
These are the four C's — the four values — on which Kathy Murphy and Robert Suarez have built their new wine bar, Beach + Vine. Located at 1458 Ocean Shore Blvd. in Ormond-by-the-Sea, the wine bar is the couple's first. Beach + Vine had a soft opening in mid-April, and a grand opening was celebrated on May 26.
"Right from the very beginning when we started Beach + Vine, we described it as a place for coffee, wine and conversation," Murphy said. "The conversation part is ultimately what we want to inspire — people coming in from the community or you know, passing through and just being comfortable coming in to connect with other people and have good conversation.
Murphy has had a passion for wine for a long time, she said. She's thought about opening a wine bar for the last 10 years when she started participating in educational wine tastings and trips to California and Italy. Murphy and Suarez, who are engaged, have welded their interests in Beach + Vine, as Suarez, a trained barista, has a love for coffee. He's always wanted to open a business of his own as well, and when the opportunity arose, Murphy left her job in corporate human resources and the couple decided to give their dream a go.
Wine tasting is an experience, Murphy said. Having lived for a time in Cincinnati, Ohio, she remembers a wine shop owner that operated out of a Jungle Jim's International Market location. He would host wine tastings and tell stories, and Murphy was hooked. Hearing someone talk passionately about wines and expand the range of wines she was trying made an impression on her.
"It's really interesting when you actually are at a winery or you talk to the winemaker, or you meet the family that's behind it," she said. "When you know the stories, the wine actually tastes all that much better."
She and Suarez moved to Ormond-by-the-Sea two years ago from South Florida after they fell in love with the community. They researched the area by exploring different bars and wine bars and Murphy said they saw a need for Beach + Vine once they did. They are also working with local artists and have begun talking about the opportunity to rent their space for private events.
Murphy said they are looking forward to further becoming a part of the community.
"We want to be a place where people are not afraid to come in and learn, or just try new wines," Murphy said. "... I'm happy to talk to people through what's on the shelves. They should never be afraid to come in and ask questions, because we want it to be very sort of unassuming, welcoming and certainly approachable."
Beach + Vine is open 2-9 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays, and 2-9 p.m. on Mondays. For more information, visit beachandvineobs.com
