A new small business was welcomed to the Corner last month with the arrival of The Gray, a specialty wine, cheese and gift shop. Owner and operator Noelle Gray, a Charlottesville native, is excited to bring more locally-owned businesses to the Corner.
Gray’s family formerly owned a printing shop at the same location, but difficulties associated with COVID-19 led them to transition to a new venture. Many businesses on the corner have undergone closures since the pandemic began, including Sheetz, The Juice Laundry and The College Inn.
The former location of Sheetz remains vacant, while The Juice Laundry has been replaced by a vape and tobacco shop. The College Inn, which served the community for over 60 years, now hosts a Chipotle.
Fourth-year College student Sydney Sutherland said the opening of a new small business on the Corner is exciting.
“I love when things are run by actual people instead of faceless corporations,” Sutherland said.
As a lifelong Charlottesville resident, Gray says it is a uniquely good location for a specialty wine shop. By bringing a small, locally-owned business to the Corner, Gray hopes to offer an alternative to chain brands.
“Charlottesville has an eclectic mix of people,” Gray said. “It's diverse — people are interested in exploring and discovering new things.”
Businesses on the Corner come and go, but COVID-19 and rising lease rates have exacerbated the issue. Fourth-year College student Greta Timmins said that turnover is a familiar aspect of the corner.
“I remember talking to fourth years my first year and all these restaurants went out of business,” Timmins said.
The Gray's focus is making wine more accessible, both in price and palate. “I wanted to focus on $20-and-under overperformer bottles, because that’s more like what my budget is,” Gray said.
Gray said she saw herself as the target customer of her shop.
“It might sound strange, but I guess it was me,” Gray said.
As a longtime enjoyer of wine, Gray wanted to create a wine shop that combined high quality with affordable prices.
“I wanted to make a wine shop that I would be happy going into — something that I could afford and be excited about,” Gray said.
Having only been open for three weeks, Gray says that business is going well so far. When it comes to the future, Gray is excited to continue to build a new small business to the Corner.
“It's really fun meeting people and talking to people,” Gray said.
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