Wine Bar Grand Opening: Make the trip to the Drip!

Soul mates, life mates, marriage and business partners, Adam & Stacey Dudley are pictured with daughter, Zoe, during another long but rewarding day of getting the Dudley’s Wine Bar & Tap Room ready for its Grand Opening on February 24th

Meet Adam & Stacey Dudley: Native Texans, adopted Dripping Springsiers (is that the word we’re using?), and proprietors of the new wine bar on Mercer Street, located in the heart of the downtown Dripping Springs historic district. The Dudley’s Wine Bar & Tap Room will officially throw open its doors for business this Friday, February 24th, with an official ribbon cutting ceremony to kickoff the festivities at 4:00pm – complete with giant ceremonial scissors wielded by DS Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Sherrie Parks.

It’s obviously a big week for the couple and their family. The Dudley’s have two kids (not pictured above is Zoe’s brother, Zackary…it was a school day for big bro when this picture was taken). Stacey & Adam said the family doesn’t have any pets but are all animal lovers. Here’s what else the Dudley’s shared with Around Dripping Springs about their past, present, and hoped-for future, in their own words…

WHERE ARE YOU FROM AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU LIVED IN DRIPPING SPRINGS?

We are native Texans. Stacey and I grew up in New Braunfels. We were high school sweethearts and graduates of Canyon High School. We have spent most of our lives in and around the Texas Hill Country, and have been in DS for over 12 years.

WHAT BROUGHT YOU HERE?

On Stacey’s birthday twelve years ago, we found a listing in the paper for a house. We had been looking to move “home” from Austin for almost two years. We found our little house in the middle of big nowhere and have loved being back and living in the hill country ever since. Now, we also get to work in Drippin’ in addition to living here! We love the hometown feel with the big city amenities and plan on providing our friends, neighbors, and visitors with the choices AND atmosphere they crave and deserve. We tell everyone to make the trip to the Drip!

WHAT TYPE OF WORK DID YOU DO, ADAM, BEFORE THE WINE BAR?

I’ve been a Technical Coordinator at UT Austin for almost 20 years. I had the pleasure of working with everyone from Robin Williams to Maya Angelou to Duran Duran to the Austin Civic Groups, and more Broadway runs than I can mentally block out; and pretty much everyone in theatre/rock ‘n roll/fine arts that has ever produced anything, regardless of the quality or genre. Looking back, it’s pretty incredible- Literally, thousands of productions. Eventually the schedule, the hellish commute, the price of gas, the behavior of my supervisors, and the overwhelming bureaucracy of UT took its toll on me. I’m done with that now and we’ve gone all in on a project that we love and are proud of. I’m still a musician, writer, and an accomplished voice artist (www.adamdudley.com), and I’m blessed to have such an incredible partner.

WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION FOR A WINE BAR & TAP ROOM HERE?

We’ve been working on this for over a decade. Our dedication to the project became more focused as the growth of Dripping Springs and the Texas wine industry began to explode. Dripping Springs is the first stop for the wines of the Texas Hill Country! The timing is critical. This project might not have ‘flown’ two years ago, but now, Dripping Springs is ready and so are we.

We’ve always wanted to have a ‘Mom&Pop’ shop, we love spending time with each other, and we make a great partnership. After a series of recent family deaths, we became acutely aware of the finite. The brevity of our time in this world became obvious, as well as the importance of enjoying the time we have. We wanted to, and have now, changed our lives. We’re living for health and happiness! We have created a welcoming, comfortable respite where people WANT to be, and can have a great time. We want to create and propagate positivity and community through comfort, relaxation, and good energy!

The outpouring of love from the community and even strangers has also been surprising and reassuring. We know we’re on the right track! The Wine Bar is upscale, but not uppity — and the stories, personalities, vibes, feedback we have already been blessed with are simply amazing. We’re very excited. We didn’t know it until very recently but the possibility of a real historic district in Dripping Springs, and The Dudley’s being a part of it, is a true mind-blower for us and a downright privilege as well.

As for other inspirations, we became enamored with wine in the early 90’s. We started exploring Texas wines shortly thereafter. We were drinking the wines coming out of Becker Vineyards quite a bit and then Stacey started working there in Feb. 2001, after we moved to Dripping. She’s worked there off and on until last May, when we started working on our long-time dream of owning a wine bar.

Dripping has always been the place we envisioned doing that. We love the people of this town and have met a lot of kindred spirits. “There be winos in them thar hills!” We knew that we would frequent a wine bar in Dripping Springs if one opened and that there were many others who would, as well. It seems that people here don’t want to have to drive all the way to Austin or Bee Caves, to simply go enjoy a glass of wine or a pint of beer. They can meet friends after work or on the weekends right here in Dripping, and have great conversation in a comfortable spot.

YOU HAD A “SOFT OPEN” ON VALENTINE’S DAY. HOW DID THAT GO, AND WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT YOURSELVES, ABOUT THE TOWN, AND ABOUT THE BUSINESS SINCE THEN?

The soft open went extremely well! People have been very excited and welcoming, including the Barber Shop Bar folks. We knew the folks here were awesome, and have already gotten to know a lot of new people. We’ve learned that several other business owners and their teams are cheering us on, like John, Dave, Deborah, Ashley, and all the folks at the Barber Shop, and Pat at the Sunrise Cafe’, and Buddy and Abraham and the guys at DS Rental, and all of our other neighbors on Mercer Street who have truly been like partners with us in this endeavor!

We have also learned that The Dudleys will always be a work in progress! We’ve learned to trust ourselves a bit more, and we’ve learned that YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. We’ve learned to ask more questions and to insist on the truth. We’ve learned a lot more about the business but we’ll save all that wisdom for our “How to Open Your Own Business Without Killing Yourself or Someone Else” book!

YOUR GRAND OPENING IS FRIDAY, 2/24 (TOMORROW!). NERVOUS? EXCITED? TERRIFIED? WHAT DO YOU HAVE PLANNED?

Grand Opening??!!!! This Friday??!! WHAT?!!!!!!

Yes — nervous, terrified, and excited. This is a first for us, and it should be pretty nuts. We’ll be serving and tasting wine and beer from around the world, as well as artisinal cheese and chocolate. We hope to demonstrate the easy drinkability of our wine selection (‘wine is for the masses’ is one of our core beliefs), and the simple approach to wine culture. We also showcase some amazing beer, and want show folks how distinctive and flavorful different beers can be. We’re not snobs, we just enjoy tasty juice and brew!

This Friday, from 4pm-6pm, we will be discounting all beers and wines by the glass, by $1 from our already unbelievably low pricing! At 4pm, we will have the ceremonial ribbon cutting, officiated by Dripping Springs Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Sherrie Parks who, as we understand it, actually has a giant pair of ceremonial scissors so bring the cameras!

We will also have live music, a hot rod or two…y’know, Friday night on Mercer!

WHAT’S ON THE AGENDA FOR THE REST OF 2012?

We will continue to work on our indoor and outdoor decor. We will develop our website and online presence. We will plan wine flights, wine dinners, and wine/appiteazer pairings. We will create new flavors and new relationships. We will kick the marketing machinery into gear for stickers, shirts, and glasses, and keep things fresh in the bar with new/different/revolving cheeses, art, beers, wines, bread, and live music.

We also want to become anchors of the DS Historic District, and contribute teamwork toward its successful development. Mostly, we will do our best to establish a quality brand, and tie-in to the local Dripping Springs identity. We also want to help other Dripping Springs businesses be successful through partnership and sharing. Oh, and we want to survive the crowds expected for Founders’ Day weekend, in April!!

ANYTHING YOU’D LIKE TO ADD?

We feel truly blessed for this opportunity and privilege. It is our pleasure to serve this community. We’ve poured everything we have (and more!) into this venture. We believe in ourselves, and we believe in Dripping Springs!

MOSTLY, WE WANT TO SAY THANK YOU! MAKE THE TRIP TO THE DRIP, EVERYONE! THE REVITALIZATION HAS BEGUN!