Peabody’s Wine and Beer Merchants
Still Drinking Well After 29 Years
Story by David Brewer
In the current era of Wal-Martization, when an increasing number of mom and pop business operations are fading into the sprawl before succumbing to growing corporate entities, some businesses seem to defy all odds by not only surviving, but thriving, in the stormy conditions.
Now in its 29th year of operation, Peabody’s Wine and Beer Merchants has become not only a symbol of the independent business, but also a High Country institution for beer and wine lovers who come from all over to take advantage of the region’s largest selection.
Started in 1978 by original owners Ray Howell and Phil Doster, Peabody’s first location was on Highway 321 in Blowing Rock across from what will soon be the Mariam and Robert Hayes Performing Arts Center. Stores on Beech Mountain and beside First Tracks in Boone came and went before the business settled in its current location on Highway 105 South near the intersection of Highways 321 and 105.
In January 1997, owner Seth Ross approached local residents and businessmen Jeff Collins, Greg Parsons and Rob Dyer with an offer to sell the store that they couldn’t refuse.
“I was all about the wine and I knew it was a good business,” said Collins. “There came a time when I just had to have it.”
After the change in ownership, Collins, Parsons and Dyer facilitated an immediate move into the operation’s current digs. The move tripled the store’s floor space, allowing the new owners to vastly expand the selection and enabling Peabody’s to remain a relevant and viable business in a changing climate.
Though Dyer left the partnership a year later to purchase the Best Cellar restaurant, Collins and Parsons have pursued the wine and beer business with passion and pride, taking great pains to seek out new business and bring in new customers by providing a shopping experience that rises high above that of the grocery stores.
A stroll through Peabody’s double doors and customers are immediately confronted with wine and beer stacked from floor to ceiling. Arranged by region, style and price for easy browsing, the range and depth of brands is staggering. In addition to beer and wine, Peabody’s stocks cigars, fine cheeses, imported chocolates and gourmet foods.
“Nobody can compare with the expertise of the staff, the quality of the selection and the hours that we are open,” said Collins. “We’re still looking to see how we can fill the space more and still have people be able to walk through.”
With regular trips to tastings all over North Carolina, as well as visits to foreign countries, Collins and Parsons have gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure that the wine selection at Peabody’s is not only extensive, but also of a great value to customers of all kinds.
“We spend a lot of time trying everyday wines,” said Collins, noting the difficulty in finding wines that are as pleasing to the pocketbook as they are to the palate. “We know what we sell.”
However, Collins and Parsons knew all along that nothing would sell a wine better than itself. They were also aware that people are fond of social gatherings when there is wine to be had. Soon after they took over in 1997, the pair began organizing tastings to bring the wines to the customers and to allow them to develop their tastes while helping the store in hone its offerings.
While consistently offering six wines every day on their in-store cruvinet, doing lots of special onsite tastings and hosting intimate and educational events at local restaurants in the area, Collins and Parsons elevated their game by throwing a big party. The pair started the annual Charity Wine Expo in the Trillium Ballroom at the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center in fall 1998.
Hundreds of High Country residents have sipped and savored each year while dozens of the area’s most knowledgeable distributors pour hundreds of wines of all varieties. With live music and the High Country’s finest dining establishments serving food throughout the night, the expo has been called “the social event of the year.”
Most importantly, the annual tasting has raised thousands of dollars for National Public Radio station WNCW and the Watauga Education Foundation.
With Collins and Parsons both regular patrons of the arts at ASU, they were delighted to get involved on a more personal level with the university in the form of the Annual Wine Tasting at Crestwood. Started in 2002, the event has grown by leaps and bounds to become App Summer’s most popular fundraising event.
“If it wasn’t for the university doing the festival, we wouldn’t be getting that quality of entertainment in a small town like this,” said Collins.
In addition to the tasting, Peabody’s also coordinates the Appalachian Summer silent auction that takes place throughout the month of July. Because all the items are donated, the auction is the biggest single fundraiser for App Summer.
With their knowledge of high-gravity beers from all over the United States and the world, Collins and Parsons have made sure that Peabody’s has led the charge in the stocking of formerly unavailable ales. Since the change in the alcohol by volume law in August 2005, Peabody’s has added dozens of beers from all corners of the globe to its already staggering beer selection.
Branching out from the retail operation, Peabody’s also helps with event planning, including weddings, parties, fundraisers and openings both large and small.
At the end of the day, however, it comes down to a plain and simple enjoyment of the business for Collins and the rest of the Peabody’s staff. While other local stores expand their selections to try to woo Peabody’s loyal customers, Collins and Parsons count on their staff to steer people in the right direction.
“We love it and it shows,” said Collins. “There’s no chance of buying wine for the pretty labels.”
Peabody’s Wine and Beer Merchants, owned by Jeff Collins and Greg Parsons, is located at 1104 Highway 105 South in Boone across from Sagebrush Restaurant. The store is open seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday and from 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call Peabody’s at 828-264-9476 or click to www.peabodyswineandbeer.com.
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