Voyages Wine Shop

08/14/2023

A couple more posts before I shut the page down.

Justin here...first of all thank you for all the support!

I wanted to share some fun news.

So...I've been brought on to the team at Kaiyo Sushi & Grill, in Okemos, where I'll be General Manager and Sommelier.

We plan to open in September.

I'm looking for servers!

I'm not in the poaching business, so I'm just putting this out there...

I'd love to have a couple folks in FOH who are passionate about learning, and who are good people.

Since my days as co-owner and GM of Bridge Street Social, I've mentored a lot of people in their wine studies, many of which have gone on to do exceptional things in major wine/tourism markets like NYC, Chicago, Miami, Detroit, Tahoe.

I want to build that culture again. I plan to. You don't have to know wine or sake right now. I'll help you get there.

I want to work with good people and do great things together.
Reach out to me if you think this interests you, or ping a friend and I'll happily talk to them about it.

If you've been led this way to this Facebook post by a friend, thank you for reading!

I want to create another exceptional beverage experience in Greater Lansing. I'd love to chat if you're down for it.

Also you can email me if you like: justin.g.king at gmail.com

Follow Kaiyo here on FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095681585691

06/21/2023

At Monastiraki Square — Update:

One week in Greece so far with my wife…it’s been a great recalibration.

Athens, Serifos, Milos.

I’m starting up the Voyages food and wine tour with customers/friends for the next ten days, then a similar trip to Basque Country after that with friends and customers, with a 3 day break in Krakow in between.

The news is this: Something new is coming to 2024 E Michigan, to take over the space of my former store.

I’m happy to see the space become something good…timing didn’t work for our family timeline, so it makes me smile that someone else can go after their dreams on the Eastside.

Stay tuned, friends.

Thanks for all the conversation and friendship over the last year.

Life is good.

xoxo,

Justin

05/20/2023

Thank you everybody. Yesterday was bittersweet but it was an incredible day filled with emotions. we saw so many friends…it was a wonderful experience, and I will think about that day for the rest of my life. Much love to all of you!

05/18/2023

Only 2 days left.

Cheat Sheet: Pick up Foustman's Salami. Their lamb and rosemary is SO GOOD.

The tinned fish selection still has about 30 items. Stock up forever...for soups, tapas, pintxos, snacks, baby charc boards.

We have a lot of wine gems left in the $20-$40 range (all at 20% off, mind you).

We sold a ton of craft beer today but there's still some sweet deals to be had.

Stop in Thursday and Friday. 12-8 p.m.

We'd love to see you.

05/14/2023

6 days left! Open until 8 on Sunday. 20% off.

05/13/2023

Open until 8 today on this nice spring Saturday. Last Saturday left. 20% off everything! Stop in.

If you can’t make it in today, our last day is Friday the 19th.

05/12/2023

Update on the space of the store.

I am leaving the country for a month in about one month…so I want to button this up.

I’m offering an insane deal, increased from the $1,000/month…there are some interested parties who are still weighing finances, but I’m throwing this out there into the ether regardless.

I have the lease through spring 2029.

The space is available starting August 1 (but if pushed could be ready sooner).

***LOOKING FOR ASPIRING ENTREPRENEUR TO TAKE OVER SPACE/LEASE***

2024 E. Michigan, Voyages Wine Shop
1380 Square Feet.

RETAIL READY. NO IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED.

What I’m giving:
I will pay HALF YOUR RENT FOR A YEAR - August 1, 2023 to July 31, 2024.

I will give you our store shelving and retail refrigeration, and point of sale (iPad, cash register, printer, scanner, etc) worth about $10,000.

This is equivalent of a almost $26,000 head start on your business.

I’m doing this because I want to move on to focusing on my family for the second half of the year, and honestly I’d prefer to button it up so my wife and I can enjoy our vacation to Greece, without me having to navigate walkthroughs and paperwork from across the ocean.

Shoot your shot, Lansing.

This is an insane deal for a spot right on the Avenue.

Share with friends and business-minded people, and those who dream of getting their own place going. And stop in to check the space out.

It might seem like that’s a lot to offer you, but that is what I’m willing to offer so I can focus on my family. 

Cheers!

Email: justin.g.king [at] gmail.com

05/11/2023

Friends,

Voyages Wine Shop's last day will be May 19.

There is still a decent amount of totally delicious beer and wine in the store, and everything in the store is 20% off!

I turn 43 that day, and it feels like an appropriate day to celebrate that wine can bring people together.

We have some things to do as a family for the rest of 2023, as I mentioned in prior email/social media.

We'd love to see you stop in to say hello, and we'd definitely love to see you stock up for family dinners, patio parties, porch sunsets, dreams of travels you've taken, bottles of future destinations, honeymoons, date nights, and all of life's eccentricities and joys.

We will be open normal listed hours all the way through the 19th.

Thank you,

Justin King
Owner, Voyages Wine Shop

05/11/2023

Someone threw a rock at my door last night.

If you have info, please share.

Thank you.

05/09/2023

This Tuesday is looking amazing!

We are open until 8 PM with everything 20% off!

We are also open 12-8 Wednesday-Sunday!

So much stuff to get the deal of the year on for beer and wine and some specialty groceries as well.

See you soon!

xoxo

05/05/2023

Long, busy day today!

It’s exciting seeing all these bottles find new homes.

I have personal relationships with so many of these wineries, suppliers, wine makers. 

When you’re buying wine from me, you are making me happy in ways that I probably have never articulated to customers at the store but these are products made by people who have fulfilled my life.

These are farmers, producers, creating something they love. It’s a part of them in many ways. 

It’s not faceless. It’s not corporate and concerned about public trading.

As we sunset this, I’m just thankful for every time I get to do this.

We’re going to be around for a little bit longer, so we would love to see you in the store again.

-Justin

05/03/2023

Hi friends!

The entire store inventory is now 20% off, effective immediately.
20% off *everything*

20% is pretty much the lowest I can go legally, so take advantage of it!

Why 20% everything?!?!?

If you haven't had a chance to read that last store update, I've decided to close Voyages Wine Shop.

For further details, take a peek through the last note I sent out. Everyone is healthy and okay at home, but we have some seismic life shifts coming up that require me to be effectively absent from running a business for possibly 3 months or more, and instead I'll take on a role of primary caretaker at home, while also carving out a path of income.

I've been in the small business world for 8 years and I have to make a switch back to W2/1099 world for the rest of 2023.

Once again,

THANK YOU, ALL OF YOU, for the support.

Stock up now on the best prices in town for: Parties, Patio Life, Graduation, Birthdays, Mother's Day, Father's Day, summer camping hangouts. We still have a ton of great wine, craft beer, fun groceries (but we're going to run out of Momofuku products soon), and so much more.

We estimate our last day will be June 10.

A NOTE TO ASPIRING ENTREPRENEURS
(and to friends and family of aspiring entrepreneurs):
There are some interested parties in this space at Voyages, but I'm still casting a wide net to look for new tenants. And I'm giving an insane deal.
To quote the last note:

"I’m willing to help whoever wants to launch their dream on this, should they want to take the lease on for this wonderful space. (lease runs through April 30, 2029)

Here’s what you’re getting:

*A retail-ready space with good foot traffic next to Strange Matter and across from the Avenue. NO WORK needs to be done in the space.

*I will pay $1,000/month of your rent for the first 12 months, starting August 1.

*I will give you $8k in shelving and refrigeration, and more, already at the store.

*You have a front desk and POS system for FREE.

This is a $21,000 head start on your dreams, a space ready for your store, art studio, or something else you’ve been dreaming of.

This seems ridiculous on my end, but giving that much over to a new tenant allows me the mental space and clarity to move on toward this next chapter of my life with a focused mind and heart.

So…it’s the real deal. You could literally have a shop ready to go! All you need is your inventory!

It’s ready for you starting August 1.

Get a hold of me through the social media pages or email - justin.g.king @ gmail [dot] com."

Or stop by the store!

Thanks again,

Justin King
Owner, Voyages Wine Shop

Click here for an update from !

04/28/2023

Someone stole Natty the unicorn today while I wasn’t paying attention.

If you see her, please help bring her back.

xoxo

04/28/2023

We sold about $500 in tinned fish yesterday, so if you're that somebody, I'd get in the store this weekend.

Open 12-8
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

I will also do full case special orders for
Matiz
La Curiosa
Momofuku

04/26/2023

I received a notable amount of responses in DMs and texts. THANK YOU!

People are wondering how they can help.

It's really as simple as this:

1. Please help us prep for this upcoming phase after the store by stocking up on our inventory for all your summer fun.

Coming up: Graduation parties, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Summer barbecues, patio fun, peak porch wine season, camping, and general good times in our great Michigan summer.

We have a lot of beer and wine in the store. I'd like to be able to sell it to move on if I can.

2. If you have a dream to open up your own store or art space, this is a great location!

The timing is off for me and family, as I wrote yesterday, but this might be great timing for you!

To reiterate:

I will make this space available August 1.

Here's what you get on this lease:

A building completely ready for your own store, art space, whatever your dream is!

$10k of shelving and retail refrigeration at no cost to you.
I will pay $1k of your rent per month for the first 12 months.

Why?

Because I'm highly motivated to be as focused as I can be for my family as we go through the changes I explained yesterday.

SHOOT YOUR SHOT, Lanstronauts! You will not see a deal like this elsewhere. Simple as that.

Tag someone who has ideas and dreams, and help me help them become neighbors to all the wonderful people on the Eastside.

See you at the store.

xoxo

Click here for an update from Voyages Wine Shop!

04/25/2023

Greetings friends,

The last year has been a wild adventure at Voyages!

There have been ups and downs, but mostly the trajectory has been good. Signs of growth. We’ve expanded our beer and wine selections to bring in some really wonderful breweries and wineries that are often overlooked in the larger marketplace.

Behind the scenes, other things have evolved.

It’s been something in the works for a little bit, but it looks like my wife will go through with a surgical procedure that requires a few months healing after surgery. I can’t provide any further info at this time, but I have to tell you that I’m extremely proud of her selfless decision to do so.

We’ve talked it through, and I think this is something we can do. In order for this to occur, she will need full-time care post-surgery for around roughly 2 months. In addition to this, we have two sons at home that will need as much of their family as possible. I’m further likely to have extended obligations in ways that dilute my ability to be at the store beyond that time frame.

We estimate this process to start in August.

With Voyages, the progress to growth and a foundation has been stabilizing. We actually doubled inventory!

I signed our lease in February of 2022 planning to full grow through the 7 year lease and beyond.

With what we are preparing for as a family this fall, I simply do not have the ability to keep the store operating while being there for my family, in this upcoming circumstance.

It is untenable.

This store is something I’m passionate about. I love the wine industry and all the people I’ve met through it. I love this neighborhood so much. It’s the place I’ve wanted to be in for YEARS, and I’m here.

But I’m now in a position where I will be choosing between being there for my family, or keeping the business open.

My wife has supported me through the store opening, and through restaurant ownership the prior 6 years, and now I choose to support her needs and our children’s needs at the level it is needed.

This is why I’ve decided to close Voyages Wine Shop. We estimate that our last day will be June 10.

As a family-run operation, these are the tough decisions that are often made.

I love this place so damn much, and I feel like I’m just getting started, but I will always make the decision of my family’s needs over my business. I don’t have regrets on my decision.

I don’t know what’s in store for me, but this is my only life. And I’m listening to that spirit of what drives the happiness and fulfillment for my loved ones. It’s a good thing and I’m so proud of my wife for going forward to make such a wonderful sacrifice for another human being.

I have a lot of killer wines and beers, foods and more in inventory. Please stop in! These wines need good homes before I close up shop. I know someone else will continue to develop things on the Eastside with beverages and more.

I’m willing to help whoever wants to launch their dream on this, should they want to take the lease on for this wonderful space. (lease runs through April 30, 2029)

Here’s what you’re getting:
*A retail-ready space with good foot traffic next to Strange Matter and across from the Avenue. NO WORK needs to be done in the space.
*I will pay $1,000/month of your rent for the first 12 months.
*I will give you $8k in shelving and refrigeration already at the store.
*You have a front desk and POS system for FREE.

This is a $21,000 head start on your dreams, a space ready for your store, art studio, or something else you’ve been dreaming of.

This seems ridiculous on my end, but giving that much over to a new tenant allows me the mental space and clarity to move on toward this next chapter of my life with a focused mind and heart.

So…it’s the real deal. You could literally have a shop ready to go! All you need is your inventory!

It’s ready for you ****starting August 1****.

Get a hold of me through the social media pages or email - justin.g.king @ gmail [dot] com.

Hey, I’ll even help guide you through different licensing or paperwork, should you need it.

Thank you to my wife and family for so much support.

Lastly, THANK YOU to my staff, the lovely customers, and the Eastside. Thank you for being there.

I’d love to see you all in the store before we close our doors. It would be great to see all your friendly faces.

Cheers.
Justin King
Owner, Voyages Wine Shop.

Click here for an update from Voyages Wine Shop!

04/23/2023

We're playing '90s R&B jams in the store all day Sunday, 12-8. If you have a problem with that, then you have a problem with a good time.

There will 100% be some Shai, TLC, SWV, H-Town, and of course, Tevin Campbell.

04/22/2023

We’re gonna play Fountains of Wayne (and similar music) all day today because FOW is one of the best bands of the last 25 years. Radiation Vibe is a perfect pop song. If you bring a FOW ticket stub to the store today you get a free candy bar.