Building the Walls of Wine
craftsman Drew Christopherson surveys his work in situ
Once the lease was signed and the license was obtained, the first and most important order of our business was to design a system to store our products; a home within a house if you will. With time and money NOT on our side, we turned to Drew Christopherson, a Wisconsin based renaissance man to help us see through a straightforward shelf design with an eye on quality materials and skilled fabrication. Without hyperbole, we can say that our shop would not exist without Drew’s help in bringing it alive with his shelves. Here’s what he has to say about it:
“Building these display units was one of my favorite jobs in recent years. There's a small thrill in knowing that something you are building in your father's modest wood shop in west central Wisconsin will be on display in New York City. There's an even bigger thrill in knowing that your craftsmanship (and turnaround time) will be helping your dear friend launch a new business on schedule. Every element of this work was cut, sanded, glued, fastened, and finished by hand over the course of 5 weeks. No small feat for a guy who likes to work half-days and who's only helping hand is a 77 year old sculptor. The design was simple enough to follow with no major hiccups along the way. That is, until we realized that the units weighed about as much as a small car, and wouldn't clear the doorway of our shop, let alone the doorway of the destination in Brooklyn. Thankfully, we were able to move them in sections to be assembled on-site. I'm looking forward to seeing the rich tone of the lacquered White Oak age with time as Waterbury Wine & Spirits settles into becoming a long-standing institution for the residents of East Williamsburg.” - Drew Christopherson Feb. 2024
Complete shelves in the wood shop
Mike Christopherson amongst the shelves
Making space for 161 bottles
The shelves arrive on the scene and the store begins
