Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Bonds.
Hi Michelle, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up on a farm in small-town Arkansas, where the options for eating out included multiple fast-food chains, Chili’s and the local country club. I was determined to venture to college out of state, attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and afterwards made my way to Chicago. Given that it really holds up to its reputation as a food mecca, I found many opportunities to start exploring the city’s food and wine scene – trying new places as they opened and discovering new cuisines.
I ultimately stumbled upon a small, independent wine shop as well and it really drove my desire to learn more about the art of wine. After making stops to live in Austin and Argentina, my husband, Chad, and I landed in Dallas. I had quite the collection of notes from various concepts I enjoyed, some of which I felt could really bring something additional to the Dallas market. I had always wanted to own my own business and I really had a passion for food and wine. So, in 2015, I started putting pen to paper and creating the beginning for what would eventually become Trova Wine + Market.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I’m far from unique in saying “no,” this has not been a smooth road. Opening a new business is extremely hard. In terms of major struggles, the first would probably be my inexperience. I really value working efficiently as well as executing what I can to perfection. I was quickly forced to throw both out the window. There are so many steps to opening an establishment like Trova – it starts with the business plan, then the financing, real estate, licensing, build-out, followed by staffing and then finally running the day-to-day once you’re open to the public. There are many opportunities for bumps in the road throughout. Being that this was my first attempt at a.) opening a business and b.) opening a food and beverage concept, if I could go back in time, I would change a lot; mostly because I was going about things the best way I knew how vs. the best way to get it done efficiently. I’ve been a part of projects in the past that were dependent upon other teams, but none of this scale. Each aspect, from conceptualizing the business to opening day and beyond, heavily relied on partnerships with vendors.
Lucky for me I ended up with some great partners that I will forever lean on for future projects, but I swung and missed on some as well! The second major struggle is probably the most obvious and that would be Covid-19. I put pen to paper on this concept back in 2015. I took active steps to make this a reality back in 2018. When all the stars aligned and the first day of construction rolled around, it was March 2, 2020. There was no turning back from that point and we were right on the edge of a pandemic that would unknowingly last longer than many of us expected. There were positives to opening when I did – I got some great staff who found themselves in need of a new home, customers who were willing to venture out were excited and additionally sympathetic to the situation, and also while we don’t love to see capacity restrictions from a sales standpoint, it allowed my staff to have an extended soft opening and train on real guests without the pressure of a mad rush. The downsides still exist, however, and we are just taking it day-by-day in an effort to push through these strange and unfortunate times, stay healthy, and provide an escape for those looking to get out and about.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Trova Wine + Market?
Trova is a cozy, stylish Dallas wine shop and bar selling a carefully curated selection of wines from around the world, as well as a small selection of local and artisanal foodstuffs. A chef-driven menu concept offers a mix of small plates, gourmet cheeses and charcuterie, sandwiches, and salads to accompany the glass or bottle that our resident comms have helped you to select. Like what you taste? That’s great because we also sell everything to-go as retail which is not something that you always find at your local restaurants. We aim for our wine selection to be all-encompassing and inclusive of everybody’s appetites. We work hard to find wines the customer won’t necessarily see all over. We are a small business and want to support small winemakers when and where we can.
Brandwise, I am most proud of my staff. I’ve been saying from the beginning that it is important for customers to feel comfortable openly discussing wine no matter their knowledge level. I believe my staff really allows for that to happen. They are all top-notch and nearly everyone on the team is a certified sommelier or has other wine-credentials. We are still coming into our own and larger group activities are not as easily accommodated as we continue to keep an eye on the pandemic, but I really look forward to launching wine classes, wine pairing dinners, and other events that are not logistically possible as we work to maintain social distance and capacity guidelines. We’ve been able to weave in a couple so far but not to the scale we hope to once we see a vaccine. I look forward to everyone being able to experience what we have to offer. In the meantime, though, join our Wine Club! We have two levels, “The Every day,” which includes three bottles for $90 each month and “The Occasions,” which includes three bottles for $150 each month. It’s a great way to try some unique bottles and expand your knowledge through the written materials included.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success to me personally is the ability to find a balance between happiness, career accomplishments and social impact. I want to be able to live a happy life among my friends and family, run a successful business, and enrich the lives of those in my community, whether that be by providing employment to those who need it, helping local charities or projects through monetary donations or time, or having the ability to serve on local boards or project committees. Success as far as my business is concerned is ever-evolving. Right now, success is staying open and seeing the other side of this pandemic. We have a long way to go and there are constant curveballs. Success will mean something different on the other side of this.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@trovawine.com
- Website: trovawine.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trovawine/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trovawine
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TrovaWine
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/trova-wine-market-dallas?osq=trova
Image Credits
Personal Photo Credit: Tracy Nanthavongsa | Critical Launch Additional Photos Credit: Lauren Bloom
