Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/68592
PROFILE Arrowine & Cheese This neighborhood wine and cheese shop in Arlington, Va., has earned a strong reputation—and a distinctive place in its local market—by offering a meticulously curated selection of artisanal cheeses and unexpected varietals. BY EVA MESZAROS D oug Rosen is quick to point out that shoppers won't find Veuve Clicquot or varietals from Kendall Jackson at his wine shop. Nor will they find Jarlsberg or other national brands at the cheese counter. In fact, customers may not recognize many of the products at Arrowine & Cheese, a distinction in which Rosen, owner of this 4,244-square-foot business in Arlington, Va., takes pride. "Our wines are seasonal," he says. "They're not mass-produced." Rosen has cultivated relationships with independent winemakers throughout Europe and beyond to bring in what he believes is the best of the best. "I visit the growers and make my own selections." This philosophy extends to every product in the store, from the selection of hand- picked proprietor-bottled Champagnes that have won the buyer accolades in the wine world from the likes of Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, to the single brand of ice cream sold in the store—Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream, which Rosen declares "the best in the country" and retails for $10.99 a pint. 86 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE ❘ specialtyfood.com STORE STATS RETAIL AREA Total: 4,244 square feet Sales floor: 3,200 square feet SALES BREAKDOWN: 77% wine, 23% specialty foods (with cheese making up more than half of food sales) STAFF: 12 full-time, 6 part-time PHOTOS: SCOTT HENRICHSEN PHOTOGRAPHY-SCOTTFOTO.COM