By Scott Carlson
Look for Marigold, a non-alcoholic bottle shop, to take residence during June at Milton Square in St. Anthony Park.
Proprietor Erin Flavin hoped to open the new store at the former digs of The Wine Shop by the time of the annual St. Anthony Park Arts Festival on June 3.
“It’s a beautiful space,” said Flavin, who also owns the Honeycomb hair salon at 35th Street and Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis.
Flavin said she intends to pick and choose items for Marigold that will excite the SAP neighborhood, all part of the social movement aimed at giving people the freedom to not drink alcoholic beverages at home or particularly at parties or other social gatherings. Some of Marigold’s offerings will include non-alcoholic drinks made by local craft breweries.
Flavin said her store will be a research project to “see what people are excited about.”
One part of the Marigold experiment that might raise some eyebrows is that the shop will carry some cannabis products.
“It (cannabis) won’t be our main focus,” Flavin stressed. “But it is something I want to make available and provide a more mild introduction to the product.”
Flavin added her store won’t be a “head shop,” noting she will be offering low-level cannabis products that can help people cut back or eliminate alcohol consumption from their lives.
“I know it’s a change.” Flavin said, “But I hope people keep an open mind.”
Flavin said she wants to help people who may be struggling with their sobriety. She noted her own drinking started becoming a crutch to deal with stress, particular when Covid hit and she found few, if any, outlets to socialize with other people.
Flavin called herself a “functioning alcoholic” whose only hobby was drinking when she wasn’t working or taking care of her family.
After she realized that drinking was taking control of her life, Flavin said she quit altogether on Oct. 28, 2020,
She told the Bugle, “I don’t want to have that monkey on my back ever again.”
Photo cutline: Owner Erin Flavin says she is excited to bring Marigold, a non-alcoholic bottle shop, to Milton Square. Photo by Lou Michaels.
Scott Carlson is managing editor of the Bugle.
