Meet Trailblazer Emily Rieve and Lindsey Schoenemann

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Rieve and Lindsey Schoenemann.

Emily and Lindsey, please share your story with us. 
We taught Junior High together for five years, loved working together and found that we were a really solid team. Emily came up with the idea of a self-serve wine bar while in France with her husband. While they were exploring a castle, they decided to do some wine tasting and they were introduced to the self-serve technology. Emily instantly reached out to Lindsey and said, “We need to open a self-serve wine bar.” A few months later, we took a leap of faith and resigned from teaching. Seven months after that, GenuWine Arizona opened on Roosevelt Row.

Has it been a smooth road?
There were definitely some bumps in the road. Thanks to our teaching background, we are both good at problem-solving; therefore, every time we approached a new obstacle we found a way to get around it. Little did we know there was another obstacle, and often times a bigger one, waiting on the other side. There were many times where it would have been easy to throw in the towel and go back to our comfort zone of teaching, but we always lifted one another up and pushed each other to keep going. Our advice to other women just starting their journey would be to keep going and not to accept no for an answer. There may be times where you feel like there is no way around the hurdle in front of you, but if you think outside the box and get creative, there is a way. Also, network as much as possible, share your story and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

We’d love to hear more about GenuWine Arizona.
GenuWine Arizona is a self-serve wine bar. This technology allows customers to not only choose their wine from our 24 options, but also how much wine they want in their glass from either a 1 oz, 3 oz or 5 oz pour. Two-thirds of our wines in our self-serve machines are produced right here in Arizona and are also available for retail.

Our mission is to support as many small, local businesses as possible, so many of the food options on our menu are also produced locally and are offered as retail as well. We also have ten beer options that are all local, Arizona brews.

What really sets GenuWine Arizona apart is the atmosphere. We have a variety of seating, board games, and live music each week. We strive to get to know our customers and really be a part of the community.

What’s the most important piece of advice you could give to a young woman just starting her career?
We opened GenuWine Arizona on sheer ambition and never looked back. The best advice we can give is to GO FOR IT! When you hit a roadblock, KEEP GOING! Problem solve and figure a way to make it work and get past the hurdle. We jumped in with both feet and it was the best decision we ever made.

Contact Info:

• Address: 888 N 1st Ave. Suite 101, Phoenix, AZ 85003
• Website: www.genuwinearizona.com
• Phone: 602-682-7494
• Email: genuwineaz@gmail.com
• Instagram: @genuwine_arizona
• Facebook: Facebook.com/GenuWineArizona
• Twitter: @genuwinearizona

Image Credit:
GenuWine Arizona

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