Happy Cork
“There’s a difference between a place where you’re welcome and a place that was built with you in mind,” says Sunshine Foss, owner of Happy Cork Wine & Spirits. “This place was built for the community.”
With a distinctive, high-quality selection — including AN ENTIRE WALL dedicated to Black wine and spirit makers — as well as friendly staff who really know their stuff, charming decor and handmade wine accessories that lend a boutique feel, the shop is something of an oasis on its Bed-Stuy block.
Sunshine, who also works in real estate and owns the building with her husband, got into the business after the prior tenant’s operation (a “bulletproof glass liquor store” with nip bottles of Henny and Goose) went under. Their space layed vacant for two years with no prospective renters in sight, spurring her decision to open up shop. “But I knew if I was going to do a liquor store, it would have to be super unique and different from what was previously given to the neighborhood,” says Sunshine, 37. “I wanted to give a really amazing shopping experience.”
“There’s a difference between a place where you’re welcome and a place that was built with you in mind. This place was built for the community.”
From the enthusiastic staff, to its warm design, to the woodsy scent of the shop’s flickering candles, Happy Cork thoroughly lives up to its name. “People come in here and don’t want to leave; they spend hours talking to staff about their whole lives,” says the Brooklyn-born, Saint Lucia-raised Sunshine (who also lives up to her cheerful name).
Putting her professional background in fashion design and home textiles to excellent use, she created every decor detail herself: lovely and dramatic floral arrangements, accent walls paneled with upcycled wood pallets, decorative vintage pieces, a hanging display rack made from tree stumps. In addition to the expertly curated selection of wines and spirits, Happy Cork also features a small marketplace of specialty items from local makers of color and women artists (see previous post for details). “The neighborhood needed something like this,” Sunshine says.
As we all continue stocking our social distancing survival kits over the coming weeks, please understand: Happy Cork is the plug for adult beverages. The result of Sunshine’s tenacious pursuit, among other offerings the shop carries a literal wall of Black-owned wines and spirits.
Look no further for Black Girl Magic riesling, rosé and red blend by the McBride Sisters; premium Tennessee whiskeys by Uncle Nearest (inspired by Nearest Green, the Black master distiller credited with teaching the game to a young Jack Daniel); brut rosé and grande réserve from Stuyvesant Champagne by Brooklyn’s own Marvina Robinson; Maison Noir wines by sommelier Andrew H. Mack, including O.P.P. pinots and Knock on Wood chardonnay; Amour Geneve, a naturally blue wine developed by Bronx-bred winemaker Coviello Salinès; dry gin by Harlem-based HH Bespoke Spirits and more. ⠀
“The wine and spirits industry is such a white male-dominated industry,” says Sunshine, who also carries an intentional selection of products made by women. “In this space I wanted to create a platform for Black and minority-owned wines and spirits.” Be sure to also check out the shop’s gifts and crafts, including wooden Biggie coasters and marble wine glasses by D&S Craftworks, luxurious soy candles by Love Notes, and more from local artists.
51 Buffalo Ave, Brooklyn, 347-985-9067, happy-cork.com
