Wealthy Weekends Story: Sunshine Foss
Sunshine Foss, a native Brooklynite with St Lucian parents, graduated with a Fashion Design degree while studying in Miami. After spending several years working with some amazing designers, she decided it was time to come back home and has been in Brooklyn for the past 15 years. Since returning, she has built a real estate portfolio with her husband Remo Foss, which allowed her to get out of designing full-time. This led to the creation of her next business venture in…wine & spirits. Dancy With Money had the opportunity to catch-up with Sunshine to discuss her journey to turning her passion into what we know as Happy Cork, a boutique wine & spirits store.
DWM: Where did your passion for wine and/or spirits stem from?
Sunshine: I have always loved the wine and spirits world! I realized when I decided to open, there was no representation for people of color in the wine and spirits industry which is what got me more involved in fulfilling that void.
DWM: What was your main driver for creating Happy Cork and why specifically in Brooklyn?
Sunshine: I am from Brooklyn so I’ve seen the neighborhoods change overtime. When new places are built, they’re not built with the community in mind. I wanted to focus on bringing good products to the community, a place that was welcoming, bright, happy and overall for the people! There are tons of liquor stores out there but I wanted to get people to drink better at affordable prices, feel good when they leave and definitely come back! And why not Brooklyn? Where else? The main focus has always been to give a platform to Black owned and minority brands.
DWM: From a financial perspective, what would you say was your biggest challenge you have overcome so far?
Sunshine: I was able to create Happy Cork at a low cost since quite a bit of the interior was done by myself. There were challenges along the way. However, I’ve never let anything become an obstacle so I can’t really say there was a financial challenge as I stayed within the budget I first set.
DWM: I understand you all feature Black wine and spirit makers in the store. Can you shed some light on why it is important to celebrate black wine/spirit makers? What are some challenges black-owned wine and spirit brands face in the industry?
Sunshine: We have Black and minority owned wine and spirits throughout the entire store. We pride ourselves on having a huge focus on black owned brands as there is not much representation out there although these are some of the best wine and spirits. These brands face a huge disadvantage coming into an already highly saturated industry. A lot of the time, distributors and or stores are not seeking them out. However, we search high and low even sometimes reaching out on social media to these black and minority brands. Some of which don’t have distribution when we first get in touch. But through great relationships built over time, we’ve managed to get them set up. With everything going against these black and minority owned wines and spirit brands, we had to create a platform for them to be showcased.
DWM: Any advice for someone considering entrepreneurship but not sure about where to begin?
Sunshine: Just start! There’s never going to be a right time! Stay focused, try new things, and stick it out for the long run! When we first opened our doors, it was hard trying to convince everyone to give us a chance. We stuck to it, used social media, even begged customers to come in for tastings. Now we can actually say we are a destination wine and spirits store with people traveling from all over.
DWM: What is next for Happy Cork?
Sunshine: We are focused on getting as involved with the community as possible. We have now become a staple in the community and we are here to help build on this! We are hoping to be able to use our platform to keep building these minority brands. We carry not only wine and spirits but also a huge assortment of accessories from coasters, Pins, wine glasses, t-shirts etc. from various vendors all over NY.
In the spirit of supporting black owned businesses, swing by Happy Cork and purchase some wine or spirits for the upcoming week! Make sure you tell them Dancy With Money sent you by using code “DWM” for $5 off your purchase. The code is good until July 18, 2020 so make sure you tap in!
Happy Cork’s Website: Home Page
Happy Cork’s Address: 51 Buffalo Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11233
Happy Cork’s Instagram: @happycorkbrooklyn
