ABOUT US
THE PATH TO THE OAK BARREL
Deciding on a business
We have always loved trying new wines and we even outfitted our home with a place to keep the wine happy until we drank it. Nonetheless, a wine and spirits store wasn’t our first idea for a business. We had several ideas but nothing seemed to catch our fancy. Then one day Lana said, “Let’s buy a liquor store!” Al’s reply was simply “why didn’t I think of that?” It was over a year before we did it; we thought about it, we discussed what we wanted it to be and we started planning. The path to The Oak Barrel didn’t go exactly as planned at first. There were some unexpected forks on the path. But now we have reached our destination. The Oak Barrel. It is where the path was meant to take us.
Al
Retired military and spent many years stationed in Europe. After retiring I spent quite a few years working in Europe and the Middle East and met my wife Lana in Hamburg, Germany on a vacation. I traveled a lot in Europe and sampled local wines, beers and spirits on the way. Lana and I then traveled in Europe together.
What is my favorite wine, red or white? “Yes”.
Lana
Lana started her life as a music instructor, specifically as a piano teacher in pre-school education. She also has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in early child development. She is passionate about travel, good wine and good food.
“I only drink Bordeaux” is a thing of the past.
Business Vision
There are so many great wines, spirits and ales in the world. Most are not highly marketed but provide better quality and taste at the same price point. Owning a wine, spirits and ales store has introduced us to so many of these products and we would like to introduce them to you. We always say “you can pay for marketing or you can pay for great wine”. We know what our choice is.
Honesty
Educating ourselves to better serve our customers
Exploring the world of wines, spirits and ales