Winemak'Her Owner Alexandra Charpentier Talks About Closing Her Beloved Wine Bar & What's Next
Plus, she shares 16 Park Slope favorites, including the croissant her French friends rave about.
Hi! How’s your Friday going so far? Any fun plans for the weekend? My mom is in town, and we’re taking her to a few of our favorite spots in the neighborhood. Hopefully the rain holds off.
In today’s issue, I interview the the founder of Winemak’Her Bar, Alexandra Charpentier, about closing her popular wine bar last month and moving back home to France. Although this was a difficult decision, Alexandra has approached the transition with her signature cheerful attitude and optimism. “The last day was July 14, and July 13, we did the Bastille Day outside. We closed the street and had Pétanque outside. It was a big party, and I was very happy to finish on that,” says Alexandra.
In her interview, Alexandra reveals what she’s up to next, how she’ll continue to celebrate female winemakers, and what she loved most about having her wine bar in Park Slope. Plus, she also shares 16 of her favorite things in Park Slope, including a hibiscus margarita, ramen restaurant, strong massage, wine shop, and kids’ shoe store.
Kelley MacDonald: Hi Alexandra! Thanks so much for chatting with me from Montreal — this is my first international interview! You’ve had a…can we say, eventful?...experience operating Winemak’Her Bar over the past four years — beginning with opening in April 2020! What was it like opening a bar at that time?
Alexandra Charpentier: Yes [laughs]. The first thing on my POS [point of sales, a device that tracks and processes payments] was from a delivery in Manhattan on 20 April 2020. Then, the [city authorized] to-go wine, in the glass or the bottle, and the first sale in my register was in May 2020. It was crazy.
Every day I talked to my husband and said, “Okay, it's bad, but we’re doing one day. We can close tomorrow, and we already did it — we already won.” Every day was like that, and then it was like, “Oh my god, it’s already one week. It’s one month!” And then, the first year I cried so much — it was very, very emotional. When I celebrated four years, I said, “I didn't believe it!” It was so hard, but you know, New York is the city to have a business. Because it’s hard but you get so much energy from the people, from the city, and you can make it.
It was complicated during Covid because I was babysitting in the morning, and then I opened the bar and closed the bar seven days a week. I didn't feel that tired then. I felt like, “Okay, we can make it.” I was very excited to do my American dream.
And then inflation last year…
The problem was I already gave all my energy during Covid, and when 2023 came with inflation, I said, “Oh, no. I’m so, so tired.”
Is that part of why you and your family moved to Montreal earlier this year?
This move was the plan. After six years in New York, we wanted to move to Montreal and manage the bar from a distance. We found a manager and the team is great. It worked pretty well. I went back to Park Slope every month/every two months. But when I moved to Montreal in April, I received the news that my sister has cancer. So I said, “Okay, it’s time to move back to France right now and take care of her.” I really want to give her all the energy that my body received from Park Slope and be with her. I’ll go back to France at the end of August.
I’m so sorry, Alexandra. How is your sister doing now?
She’s not okay. You know, some people asked if they could manage the bar for me, but I just want to be 100% with my sister. I don't want to get phone calls when we need wine or something else. I prefer to close. We had a big party on Bastille Day, a very important day in France. So we finished on that, and said, “Okay, a new chapter in France.”
Where in France are you moving?
We’re going back to Brie Comte Robert, where I grew up. It’s 30 kilometers from Paris. All my friends and family are there. You know, expatriation is very complicated and difficult, but going back to your country is also complicated and difficult because you get the culture of your new country, and I love the American culture. You are so polite. You don’t really complain. You are very nice. People took so much time to explain to me how to speak English. It was very great to meet these people. In France, everyone complains [laughs]. I'm not sure I’m ready for that, but I'm very happy to be close to my family and my friends. I will focus on that.
Are you planning to open a wine bar there?