Meet Dana Wells

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dana Wells.

Hi Dana, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
My husband, Mark Wells, and I have been in the hospitality industry for 30+ years, mainly in corporate event production. During Covid the event industry was decimated and we were suddenly afforded time to purchase and grow a new business. In April of 2020, Florida loosened the liquor laws and we saw the perfect opportunity to buy a liquor store as a strong financial strategy and a business fitting in our wheelhouse of hospitality.

Mark’s brother had been laid-off, and we knew he could manage it. We looked at about 8 shops with our broker, Jason Godwin, who at that time only had three clients wanting liquor stores. By the time we closed on our business, Jason had about 40 clients wanting stores. We mainly looked at leased stores in shopping centers. Then one day, Jason called to say he had a unique opportunity; it was a gas station/liquor store combo right on US192, including the land and building — real estate deal with the business, license and inventory.

We jumped on it, not knowing if we would be able to do the deal and not knowing anything about running a gas station. (Oh, and we have never run a liquor store!) The financial obligation was more than we had been considering, but we were able to get a terrific SBA loan.

December 4, 2020, the deal finalized — during COVID and at the height of Holiday season! It was a wild ride! We had to overcome spoiled wine inventory, cleaning a mold-ridden beer cave, hiring and training the team, learning our systems, inventory pricing, replacing burned-out gas pump, cleaning fuel tanks, a rat infestation, an electrical fire, and more! The evaporator in the beer cooler was ancient, and that was a big investment to replace, but we now have the coldest beer in St. Cloud!

Building a great inventory has been one of the most capital-intensive yet fun business activities. The liquor supplier partners have taken notice of us and are helping to guide our shop as the craft and boutique liquor store in southeast Central Florida area. Levee Liquor is the shop for great craft beer, unique bourbons and whiskeys, and boutique wines not found on the shelves at the grocery store. We enjoy offering regular tastings to our customers to help guide their palates and introduce them to new spirits. Being the only shop in the area with a tasting bar helps our guests try new spirits before they buy. A delivery/shipping program gets our products to an expanded geographic area as clients shop from the comfort of their home.

Community involvement sets us apart from other independent liquor stores. We knew joining the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce would help us get our business running and exposure in the community quick. Most of our vendor partners who we work with like our cleaning, security, and pest control companies are chamber members. Dana is also on the Board of Directors now and the Chairperson for the Economic Development Committee. Our Chamber has been invaluable to the success of our business!

We give to Veterans (VFW3227) and to education. Having a charity focus makes it easy to decide how to be of benefit with some of the allocated bottles we receive and events we participate in. We sponsor the Annual Clay Shoot to benefit Education Foundation of Osceola, and we are a sponsor at their upcoming golf tournament on November 11th. Our first barrel pick of Jack Daniels benefits the VFW by dedicating a portion of each bottle sold.

Levee Liquor is home to a Libby’s Legacy donation receptacle which receives used clothing to be sold and help women battling breast cancer. We also make gift baskets and donate product to other charities. As you can imagined our liquor store receives many requests. We’d like to help everyone and do what we can. Having a focused charity platform steers our efforts.

Building community can be accomplished even by a small business like ours. We regularly partner with other shops like Lavender Patch and East Row Market in the historic downtown to offer sip-n-shops where we donate the spirits, and Dana attends to offer hospitality and samples while guests shop.

Whiskey In The Cloud with Boutique Cigars is a festival  we are presenting this November 19th, to offer education and enjoyment of premium/craft spirits, and to draw enthusiasts to our downtown entertainment and shopping district. Forty tents with a hundred premium spirits samples and cigars is planned. There will be a VIP experience, and our latest barrel-pick of Doc Swinson’s will be included in the swag bag along with cigars. The shops, bars, and restaurants will be open offering specials, and live music playing all night. It’s gonna be a tremendous night for our Downtown St. Cloud folks and guests!

Mark records The Pour Life Podcast at Levee Liquor featuring friends in the spirits industry and our local community and happenings. It’s all about the people and the stories while enjoying great drinks. We love showcasing the great, hardworking people in our community and liquor brands!

Bringing creativity to the liquor industry is something we are passionate about at Levee Liquor. We are obsessed with customer service and want to exceed the expectations of what the local liquor store is about. We believe it’s all about community!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The store had a terrible reputation when we bought it. It was known as a druggie store. The previous ownership sold drug paraphernalia. Our goal as a family business is a welcoming, clean and safe shop. So all of that inventory was removed immediately after the purchase. Some of those customers were so mad they threw nails in our parking lot.

The building was neglected for years. We are constantly making repairs. A rebranding and remodeling is currently underway.

Mark’s brother left in February to go back into the special events industry, so now Dana is the managing owner. And Mark is back full-time, traveling and producing events.

There are not many women-owned liquor stores. Dana navigates a typically male field on a daily basis. “I’ve grown thick skin and handle challenges daily, keeping faith that everything works out eventually. We have overcome so many issues that I can confidently meet each new challenge today.”

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Mark and I have a many years of professional experience, and probably the number one philosophy is to hire, train, and empower great people. We are so proud of the team we have. Chris Rodriguez has been with us since we opened and has beed promoted to manager this year. Celebration Specialists, Angelo and Thomas, have been with us for over a year.

It’s awesome to see these young men grow in their skill and knowledge in the liquor industry. They are passionate about helping our customers find new and enjoyable spirits. It’s really neat attending business events and hearing other professionals compliment my team. Chris, Thomas, and Angelo are respected, known and really appreciated by our customers.

We have a family environment; the store is an extension of Mark’s and my home. Our team feels that, and they like working at St. Cloud Levee Liquor. They also demonstrate ownership by making sure tasks get done for smooth operations daily. I’m really proud of these guys!

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I’m a bit of a risk taker/adventurer and that helps me overcome daily challenges. For example, Mark and I lived in Cancun, Mexico for a year producing events.

I’ve owned a total of six companies, including four currently. I work hard and have a lot of tenacity, especially now with the challenges of owning the liquor shop and growing it during COVID.

Probably the most surprising fact is I jumped out of a plane for the thrill of parachuting. That’s a real good activity for me to recall when I am hesitant about something. Raw fear and the tantalizing feeling of being alive on the ground after falling from 15,000 feet is a crystalline experience to validate “I can do this” when stuff happens. And stuff happens frequently!

In fact, the number one attribute I possess that has become much more pronounced with experience is courage!