Calling all STL Craftspeople!
 
Spirit Wine & Craft invites you to join Spirit Co-Op!  Please read the FAQs below to see if you might be a good fit.
 
Q: Who are you?
A: Glad you asked.  We own The Wine & Cheese Place locations in St. Louis County.  Our first store opened in 1982 and we have been the St. Louis area’s best destination for wines, whiskies, spirits, craft beer, gourmet cheeses, specialty foods, gifts and more since then.  Spirit Wine & Craft is our new retail concept located in St. Louis City at 5760 Chippewa St.
 
Q: What is the Spirit Co-Op?
A: We’ve built a dedicated section of our new store as a showcase for locally owned small businesses to sell their products.
 
Q: What kind of items are you interested in carrying?
A:  If it’s made by you in or around STL, we are interested!  Arts, crafts, certain food items, jewelery, t-shirts, soaps, candles, leather goods…if we like it, and think we can sell the heck out of it for you, let’s do it!  Read on for more criteria.
 
Q: Do you accept food items?
A: Yes, as long as they were made in a licensed food facility and are shelf stable in retail packaging.  Unfortunately, we will not be able to carry items with a less than 3-month shelf life, or items that need refrigeration.
 
Q: Do you accept home brewed beer or sprits?
A:  Would love to try it (maybe 🤔), but it’s not legal to sell it!  Sorry!
 
Q: Do you support minority-owned and woman-owned business?
A: Absolutely!
 
Q: Are there any size limitations?
A: Yes.  The Showcase is divided into 13-inch cubes.  Your items will have to fit within these dimensions.  We may be able to offer you more than one cube. 
 
Q: Is this a consignment relationship?  What’s the fee?
A: Yes, but not a traditional high fee one.  We will not purchase your items for resale.  Rather, you will retain ownership of your items in our store.  We will handle paying sales tax and credit card fees, as well as providing staff, accounting, retail space, shopping bags, etc.  We will also work with you to promote you items via social media.  In return, we will take a relatively low fee of 10% of the selling price to cover our costs, including credit card processing fees.  So, yeah, we aren’t in this to make a lot money 😀.  But we do love supporting local!    
 
Q: Who sets the retail price?
A:  You do.  If we believe based upon our experience that you should charge a different price, we will give you that feedback.
 
Q: How do I get paid?
A: Within 15 days of the end of each calendar month, we will remit to you the proceeds from the sale of your products minus our 10% fee.  We will also send you a breakdown of the number of items sold. 
 
Q: Who will order and stock my items?
A: You will need to visit our store at least monthly to check stock levels and restock items.  Should your items sell quickly, we will contact you so that you may resupply. 
 

Q: I already sell to other retailers and have a wholesale price list.  Can I participate in Spirit Co-Op?

A:  Spirit Co-Op is for local makers for who a traditional wholesale relationship is not viable.  If you already sell wholesale to other retailers, we are happy to review your products to see if they are a good fit for our store.  Please reach out to us at spirit@wineandcheeseplace.com.  
 
Q:  Do I need a business license?
A: Sorry, we can’t answer that one for you.  Please contact the business license division of the city/town in which the items are made.   
 
Q: Great, I’m interested!  So, what’s next?
A: Fill out the online form by clicking here!