Lindsey Gasparini (left), one of the owners of The Wine Wave, talks wine with David Spitzer, former owner
of the space, previously known as Old Vines, and Delray Beach residents
Eric Gebhard and Michele Palenscar.
Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
Inset: Gasparini, 27, and her partner Jeremiah Flores, 29.
By Ron Hayes
Old Vines has a new name.
On June 5, the venerable wine shop at 900 Atlantic Ave. in Delray Beach became The Wine Wave.
“We wanted something that sounded young and beachy and more Delray,” says Lindsey Gasparini, 27, who bought the business with her partner, Jeremiah Flores, 29.
And Dave Spitzer, the owner since 2009, wanted more time with his grandchildren back in Chicago.
“I used to joke that Old Vines referred to my arms and legs,” says Spitzer, a tall, enviably slender man who came to the shop after decades in the hotel and restaurant industries.
“When I bought it, my knowledge of wines was about a five on a scale of 1 to 10,” estimates Spitzer, who’s still at the shop for a few weeks to help the new owners settle in. “I’m leaving at about 8½ or 9. It’s been great because now when my wife and I go out to eat, we can pick a wine we know is fun. And we’ve made great friends. That’s the part I’ll miss the most.”
As Spitzer offered business tips and Flores greeted customers on a recent afternoon, Gasparini took a break to describe how two young professionals came to buy Old Vines.
Both were working for Neogenomics, a national diagnostic testing laboratory. Gasparini was in Boca Raton and Flores — a former Marine who served nine months in Iraq and three in Afghanistan — in Los Angeles. Both dreamed of owning a small business.
“One day, Jeremiah was sitting in a wine bar in Santa Barbara, surfing his iPad for business opportunities, and he found Old Vines,” Gasparini said.
In January, they bought both the business and its real estate in the Waterway Building. And they’ve just bought a townhouse only blocks from the shop.
“Jeremiah used to sit in L.A. traffic for three hours,” Gasparini laughs. “Now he walks three blocks to work.”
A grand opening is scheduled for 6 p.m. Aug. 1. In the meantime, they’ll stay open seven days a week, while a new hardwood floor, granite tasting tables and rustic racks and cabinets are installed in the off hours.
Once the new website is up and running, Gasparini and Flores will tout themselves as purveyors of “Champagne, craft beers and premium liquors,” she said. But wine will always be their first wave.
“We want to sell wines for everyone, from the average consumer to the most discriminating buyers,” she said. “Right now we have an inventory of about 25,000 bottles, but we want to get that up to 75,000 in the next couple of months. We’re going to buy four to six cases at a time because then you get a much better price and can pass the savings along to customers. We have some really good ones for $15.”
After serving yet another customer, Flores finally got a break.
“I don’t have time to be nervous,” he said. “We just want to take care of the local community. If we can give them what they like, we’ve done our job.”
The Wine Wave will host its next tasting on July 11, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. The event is free. For more information, call 276-2076.
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