A PASSION FOR WINE
By Chris Wadsworth
Sean Malone loved being a wine shop owner.
He bought the 8-year-old Ashburn Wine Shop in 2018 from its original owner and carefully curated an inventory of fine wines and a list of loyal customers. He renovated the store, added a kitchen in 2020 and started serving food accompanied by his wines.
And then one day he collapsed in the store. It was a brain tumor. He fought it for 20 months before passing away March 28.
“Sean was remarkably brave,” said Sharon Smith, Malone’s fiancée. “He never gave up hope that he would beat the statistics.”
Smith – who was with Malone for 16 years – says the wine shop was his passion.
“For Sean, the shop wasn’t just a place to buy wine – it was a gathering spot where you could come have a glass and share a story,” Smith said. “He loved the connection he formed with each customer, many of whom became close friends.”
Two of those regular customers and good friends were Alan and Brittany Alexander. The Ashburn Village couple lived near the store and had been such regular shoppers that they quickly bonded with Malone.
“He was like a mentor to me – in life and in business,” Brittany said.
When the writing on the wall became clear, Malone went looking for someone to take over his beloved shop. The Alexanders expressed an interest and soon the deal was done.
“He wanted someone who would carry it on in the same capacity he did,” Brittany said. “He didn’t want to sell it to a chain or to someone who would absorb it into a big restaurant corporation.”
HONORING A LEGACY
The Alexanders are entrepreneurial by nature. Alan, originally from Woodbridge, is in government contracting. Brittany, a Kansas City native, worked in quality assurance management for a tech company.
The couple owns six rental properties in the Outer Banks – a topic they often discussed with Malone.
“He knew we were good at business,” Alan said. “We sat here many a night talking about business and vacation rentals. He knew we had some business savvy.”
Still, owning and managing a wine shop was something new, but they were determined to do it the way their friend had wanted.
“This is supposed to be a wine shop that is centered around food. A place for neighbors to meet up. For book clubs and private events,” Brittany said. “But it’s supposed to be reasonably priced – wines that don’t have a huge mark-up.”
UP AND RUNNING
Since taking over in May, the Alexanders have had to learn brick-and-mortar retail operations, maintaining an inventory, running payroll and so forth. Brittany focuses on the shop full time now with the help of five longtime employees.
They’ve also made some subtle changes around the store. First is they’ve been trying to promote that the Ashburn Wine Shop is more than just a wine shop – a fact not well known even in the area.
The store – in the Ashburn Village Shopping Center off Gloucester Parkway – is actually named the Ashburn Wine Shop Bar & Bistro – and it has a full food menu, including crab cakes, flatbreads, garlic mussels, pastas and a homemade focaccia bread that is a fan favorite.
“We have customers who say, ‘I didn’t know they did a renovation,’ and ‘I didn’t know you offered food,’” Brittany said.
The Alexanders also added beer from craft breweries to the shop’s dine-in menu, and they’ve been doing free wine tastings as well.
“I believe when you allow people to taste the wine – that gives them confirmation that they like it,” Brittany said. “You don’t have to sell them on it. They decide for themselves.”
Dale and Joyce Cruickshank live in Ashburn’s Broadlands neighborhood and have been patrons for years. They became close friends with Malone when he owned the store and are now big supporters of the Alexanders.
“We are thrilled at what Brittany and (Alan) have done with the shop,” Dale Cruickshank said. “It is a great place to learn about wine and they do tastings a couple of times a week to give people a chance to try new wines.”
For Susan Smith – who is still a regular customer at the wine shop and has even launched her own wine distribution business in memory of Malone – seeing the store forging ahead and growing means a lot.
“The idea of shutting down the shop wasn’t one that Sean could bear,” Smith said. “He had worked so hard to make it the local gem that it is and was beyond grateful that the Alexanders stepped up and took the reins. Sean knew it was in good hands and that brought him comfort.”