LYNN — Lucille Wine Shop and Tasting Room, located on 776 Washington St., has grown tremendously since its opening in February 2020, six weeks before the pandemic began.
Sarah Marshall, the founder and owner of Lucille, has been through a whirlwind these past five years. Even with most restrictions being lifted in 2021, Marshall still had a couple more years before she really felt like she was on her feet.
“2020 was a wash for obvious reasons; ‘21 was a different challenge; ‘22 was kind of looking like my benchmark year,” Marshall said. “But… ‘23 was our first year that I look back at numbers to compare.”
As Lucille began to stabilize after the uncertainty of its early years, Marshall focused on building programs that deepened the connection rather than simply increasing sales. One of the most successful of these has been the wine club, which launched in 2022.
“Our wine club has also been a very successful program,” Marshall said. “We probably started that in ‘22.”
Designed as a flexible monthly subscription, the club emphasizes accessibility over exclusivity.
“People can cancel at any time. There’s no commitment,” she said.
The most popular tier, she explained, is “six bottles of wine for $105 a month, and the selection is the same for everyone,” with wines chosen seasonally and rooted in the shop’s philosophy of “small, organic, self producer.” Another tier offers “exclusively natural wine.”
Membership extends beyond the bottles themselves. The subscription includes 10% off when shopping in store. It also offers member-exclusive events like a free tasting when there are visiting winemakers. Many also benefit from the “free delivery” perk that has helped the club grow to about 115 members.
“More than predictable revenue, the club reflects Lucille’s educational mission. It’s another way, too, to really learn about wine without having to go to a class,” Marshall said.
The staff does write-ups on the wines to avoid technical jargon but favor more clarity and humor.
“It’s everyday language,” she said. “We try to really break down those barriers.”
That same ethos of inclusion carries into Marshall’s philanthropic work, particularly her long-standing involvement with Girls Inc. She served on the organization’s board for three years before stepping down last summer, though her connection remains strong.
“We’re heavily involved with them,” she said.
Lucille hosts an annual fundraiser for the Girls Inc. and is now entering its fifth year doing so. For Marshall, the partnership was intentional.
“I wanted to do it in a way where we could make maximum change with more of (the company’s efforts going toward) one entity, and align with my values,” she said. “Women, leadership, everything that they stand for.”
Travel has also become an extension of the Lucille experience through curated wine tours, which allow customers to engage with wine far beyond the shop’s walls.
“I first thought about this years ago,” Marshall said, inspired by the way chefs lead immersive culinary trips abroad.
The tours became possible through a partnership with a luxury travel planner.
“I would curate the itinerary… and she would handle all the logistics,” Marshall stated.
Since then, Lucille has led trips to Greece and is planning upcoming excursions to Portugal and Sicily.
While the tours aren’t highly profitable, their value lies elsewhere.
“It’s not a money-making thing,” Marshall said. “To me, it’s a way to engage with our guests on a deeper level.”
The shared experiences foster connection among travelers.
“Everybody becomes friends,” she said. “You connect on a deeper level.”
Marshall sees these programs — the wine club, the tours, and her philanthropic partnerships — as natural extensions of the shop’s purpose.
“Wine, as it’s a medium,” she said. “It’s a medium about bringing people together.”
