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Darbe & Co.’s new location always has a wine tasting

 

  • The wine offered at Darbe and Co.'s new location, including Wine By Joe, shown near the bottom.

  • Stoney Cliff wine offered by Darbe Co. Boutique at the business' new Charles City location. The labels were made by Darbe Co. owner Deb McNeilus featuring Charles City landmarks. Press photos by Thomas Nelson.

By Thomas Nelson, tnelson@charlescitypress.com

Thursday marks the grand re-opening of Darbe and Co. on Main Street in Charles City.

Darbe & Co. has opened a new location down the sidewalk from its previous spot. It’s now at 200 N. Main St., Suite No. 1, next to Kloberdanz Insurance Office.

Folks coming in can look forward to a fire sale of some of the wine to make room for more wine coming in, said owner Deb McNeilus. “I want to par down the inventory and get some new ones.”

McNeilus has moved with the store to the new location, putting together the space and filling it with wine and other items.

The store will be open Thursdays through Saturdays. Thursday through Friday Darbe & Co. will be open from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be extended holiday hours.

Darbe & Co. closed on April 30 and opened another Darbe & Co. store in Greene run by Susan Needham, who bought part of the company from McNeilus.

“She had approached me last summer about opening a second store,” McNeilus said. “I do consulting for her and we shop and do our markets together.”

The new Charles City store size may be smaller, but Darbe & Co. will still offer the same merchandise.

“If I miss the store too much I’ll just throw my street sign out on the corner and then you’ll know I’m open extra hours” McNeilus said. “Anyone can call me — I’m only a few miles from town.”

McNeilus’ phone number will be on the window for customers to call if they need anything, she said.

Jewelry, wine and clothing are just some of the things offered at Darbe & Co., McNeilus said.

“Being that I’m smaller I’m going to turn things over a little faster,” she said.

McNeilus encourages everyone to come in to see what she’s selling, she said.

The business has an extensive wine list.

McNeilus works with Stone Cliff Winery in Iowa, because it allows her to do her own labels as souvenirs, she said.

“Otherwise all my wines are from all around the world — Chile, Australia, Italy, France, California,” McNeilus said.

Personally, McNeilus said, she enjoys a dry wine, like Sea Pearl’s Sauvignon Blanc, one of her favorites that she offers at her store.

“I used to only drink merlot,” McNeilus said.

Since then McNeilus has moved on to dry white wines, she said.

She’s also starting to offer the Wine Enthusiast top choices.

McNeilus often gets asked what wines customers should select if they’re not sure, and finds people that like dry wine like a sweet wine as well. But, people that like a sweet wine don’t always like a dry wine.

“Sometimes dry wine is little hard at first to get used to, so I start them off with a sweet wine,” McNeilus said. “We always have wine open here. We always have wine tasting.”

When someone comes to Darbe’s they’ll always get offered a little wine, McNeilus said.

 

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