When Ray’s Wine & Spirits opens its Mequon store (7555 W. Mequon Rd.) – so soon, I can almost taste it! – it’ll have something the Tosa location does not: a deli. It’s designed to make you stay and hang out for a bit, not just see the excursion as a quick trip to buy a 12-pack of beer or a bottle of wine or a spirit.
We’re talking an experience.
To get the most bang for their buck, Ray’s tapped into a local expert – chef Karen Bell of Bavette la Boucherie. Bell consulted on the deli menu, which highlights Wisconsin makers. So, picture sitting at Ray’s Delicatessen’s cozy eight-seat bar nibbling on a cheese or charcuterie board and sipping a wine flight. Other options include house-marinated olives, a “French-inspired” ham sandwich, and a variety of “different and interesting” tinned fish, as described by Miranda Polka, Ray’s delicatessen shop manager. Also part of the deli is a small, curated retail area with products for sale including gourmet provisions, home goods, greeting cards, etc.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
The size of the Ray’s Mequon location – formerly The Finial, a longtime hardware store – is making all these amenities possible. Ray’s in Tosa has a bar and space upstairs for classes, sure. But Ray’s Mequon plans to offer much more; the on-site event space holds 40 seated and 50 standing. Among the offerings are classes (wine, whiskey, cocktails), curated tastings, beer events and so on. The space’ll be open for daytime and night-time events, “plus funky parties, things like that,” says Polka. There’s a covered patio, too.
And you can’t underscore the importance of a large parking lot. Mequon’s has 100 spaces in it.
As far as beverages go, Ray’s Mequon isn’t just about alcohol. The growth of the N/A market – a segment that continues to evolve in nuanced and sophisticated ways – is a piece of the Mequon location’s more-than-a-shopping-trip raison d’etre. “That’s why the goal was, when we purchased this space, to have more of an experience for individuals,” says owner Orey Laev.
Look for updates, an opening date, etc. on Ray’s Facebook page.
