This wine shop has new owners, a Lacey biz grows and a Tenino icon is demolished
Sarah Boggs and Seth Mier are the new owners of The Wine Loft, a longtime destination for wine in downtown Olympia. They took over on March 1, Boggs said.
The seed of new ownership was planted about 18 months ago, she said. Mier, who is Boggs’ husband and a wine distributor, was familiar with the business and in contact with the former owner. The idea of buying the business came up one day and then it became a reality, Boggs said.
Before they took over, the couple worked in the shop to get to know the clientele and inventory, which is an eclectic selection of wines from around the world, as well as some small grab-and-go items, such as meats, cheeses and olive oil.
It’s business as usual for now, Boggs said, but they would like to add glass pours to their tastings in the future.
“We don’t want to change too much too fast,” she said. “We will keep what works and enhance other things.”
The Wine Loft is at 401 Columbia St. NW. It’s open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. Tastings also happen on Saturday afternoons.
Other business happenings
Grace Condiments of Lacey, a business that has so far released three products, aims to release a teriyaki sauce this summer and dry rubs in the future, co-owner Josh Roblee said.
Roblee and his wife, Kenya Timmons-Roblee, who met while serving in the Army, started the business two years ago. The business, which takes advantage of the community kitchen at The Olympia Center, makes Grace’s No. 7 Everything Sauce, a Sweet Heat chili sauce and Cutie-Q barbecue sauce.
After creating 28 versions of the yellow mustard-based Everything Sauce, it was the seventh version that taste testers agreed was the best, Roblee said. And like the name suggests, it goes well with everything, including on meats, salads and French fries, he said.
The Sweet Heat chili sauce, made with strawberries and Thai chili, goes great with a Monte Cristo, Roblee said, and Cutie-Q, made with beets and raspberries, has the most similar flavor to traditional barbecue sauce.
You can find Grace Condiments at Buck’s Fifth Avenue, Spuds in Tumwater off Old Highway 99, and George & Sons produce market at 415 Sleater-Kinney Road SE in Lacey. Orders also can be placed through the website.
The business also plans to return to the Tenino Farmers Market, Roblee said.
Scotty B’s, the 50s-themed diner that occupied a prominent corner in Tenino for years, is no more after the building was demolished. The restaurant closed over the summer.
“I am filled with sorrow and sadness,” owner Scott Hineline said in a Facebook post after the business closed. “You all have become a second family. I may be closing the doors in Tenino, but in no way am I closing my heart to this sweet, life-filled town.”
If you know of a retailer, restaurant, coffee shop or other business that is opening, closing, expanding, remodeling, or changing its focus, send an email to reporter Rolf Boone at rboone@theolympian.com.
This story was originally published March 12, 2021 at 5:45 AM with the headline "This wine shop has new owners, a Lacey biz grows and a Tenino icon is demolished."
