Certified Bird Specialist

• Jun 2017 - Present

Founding Principal Partner

• 2005 - 2015

Having many years of experience across the country in the hospitality industry, and having managed several fabulous retail wine and spirits stores in my 30+ years in Santa Fe, I was offered the opportunity to purchase and operate a local (to Santa Fe) wine and spirits store. In 2005 I asked some CA family members to partner with me to obtain the license and open Susan's Fine Wine and Spirits. My reputation in the community helped to make the business a success from the beginning. I was blessed to hire incredible staff, and together we worked hard during the "Bush recession"​ and created the absolutely best wine and spirits store Santa Fe has ever seen! This was a relational business, offering top notch customer service and a knowledgeable staff who knew how to ask the correct questions to lead our customers to their perfect purchase. Our prices were most competitive to the "chain stores"​ and coupled with the service and knowledge (and downright joy of having great products to offer) we quickly became the "go to"​ liquor and wine store in Santa Fe. Unfortunately, after ten years, my CA partners desired to move to Santa Fe and take over the operations of the business. They did just that and, in November of 2014, had forced most of the staff to leave for other dreams, and kicked the eponymous owner (me) out of the store. I regret to say that the partners have a very different business model, and the store is not what it once was. I miss the staff, the customers, the vendors and the pleasure I got out of going into work every day. My employ at the store has been terminated, although I remain a director, partner and shareholder; I just have no input into the tone, products, and staff of the business. Susan's continues to have a better selection than most liquor stores, but the atmosphere that made it so very Santa Fe is not present. C'est dommage---yes, we specialized in French wines from all regions! Show less