Do you spend an inordinate amount of time both drinking wine and thinking about drinking wine?
That used to be seen as a bad thing.  But now it just means that you’re “living the wine lifestyle.”  And now there’s a franchise opportunity just for you.

I learned the term “living the wine lifestyle” in my recent interview with Vintner’s Circle founder David Schmeltzle.
How liberating! I thought.  It’s finally acceptable for me to come out of the closet, er, cellar and bring my Two Buck Chuck with me.
In fact, Americans from all walks of life are professing their love for the “wine lifestyle” …read more

The contents of two bankrupt Cork & Olive wine stores are up for auction.
See them here:  Bay Area Auction Services
Read more about the Cork & Olive WINE STORE FRANCHISE woes here:
Cork & Olive Franchise
CORK & OLIVE: Michael Probst Forms New Corporation

CORK & OLIVE: Oldsmar Store Reopens; C&O Coming to Ocala?

CORK & OLIVE: New Ownership & Franchise Rumors

CORK & OLIVE: The Probst Method of Guilt Avoidance
ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH CORK & OLIVE?  SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.
Image:  Bay Area Auctions

Looking for wine franchises?  Check out the franchise opportunities at Top New Franchises.
The R&B pop singer-songwriter and actor turned wine store franchisee is corking his The Grape store in Atlanta’s Inman Park.  According to On the Record magazine:
The Inman Park franchise of the Grape opened by Usher in late 2006 has closed, according to its parent company.
The wine bar, bistro and wine retailer, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, did not reopen once the New Year rolled around and did not renew its liquor license with the Georgia Department of Revenue.
Currently, three local branches of the Grape remain: in the Vinings …read more

Despite the recent plunge into bankruptcy that left his Cork & Olive wine store franchise chain in turmoil, his newly-launched Cork & Olive franchisees stranded without the promised support, and employees without jobs or paychecks, C&O founder Michael Probst is launching his next entrepreneurial venture: Mergers & Acquisition Corp.
The story is here:  CORK & OLIVE: Michael Probst Forms New Corporation
The whole story is here:  CORK & OLIVE BLOGLIOGRAPHY
What do you think?  Share a comment below.
Related posts:  CORK & OLIVE: Ex-Employee Has no Sympathy for Franchisees, CORK & OLIVE: Overview & Blogliography,  CORK & OLIVE: The Probst Method of Guilt Avoidance, …read more

(FranchisePick.Com) Yesterday, UnhappyFranchisee.com reported that the Cork & Olive Franchise Corp. had folded, that the eight company stores had closed, 40 employees had been abruptly laid off and the Cork & Olive franchisees, including one who opened just a week earlier, abandoned by their franchisor Michael Probst.
According to the post on UnhappyFranchisee.com (Cork & Olive Wine Shop Franchise Owners Left High & Dry), Cork & Olive franchisor claimed he shut down after  a New York hedge fund that was going to invest about $3-million in the company insisted it take on controlling interest. Probst refused.   He shut down …read more

Looking for wine franchises?  Check out the franchise opportunities at Top New Franchises.
(FranchisePick.Com) Jean Murray at Small Business Boomers referenced a post about WineStyles, a wine franchise I wrote about recently, in her post Wine-making as a business for baby boomers.

I know some of these wine franchise companies got off to a rocky start, but I think the wine store concept has a lot of potential.  It’s been a few years since I toured a few of them;  perhaps some of you can shed some insight into how they’ve fared in the tough economy.
Here are a few of the …read more

(FranchisePick.Com) How’s this for freaky:  a former assistant baseball coach read about the Winestyles franchise on websites like this one, bought a Winestyles franchise, and now is featured on a website like this one.  Actually, he’s featured on the website that is this one.  Weird.  Whoever said wine imitates life knew what he was talking about.
Looking for wine franchises?  Check out the franchise opportunities at Top New Franchises.
St. Petersburg Times’  Lisa Buie tells of the man who dreams of creating a wine store that is “third place” for wine lovers to congregate, “much like Starbucks has done for coffee …read more