1010 Wines celebrates a banner freshman year as a hot spot for A-listers and locals.
Co-owned by sisters Leslie and LeAnn Jones, the Inglewood-based destination offers the largest selection of Black-owned wines in California, and delicious foods in a central location that’s second to none. Boasting a who’s who of A-list visitors, including Nas, Cedric the Entertainer, Niecy Nash, and more, the Jones sisters look to capitalize on their year one success to continue to propel their business into the future.
Reflecting on their first year in business Leslie Jones, who serves as president of 1010 Wines says it’s really about the people. Though she and LeAnn were hands-on in every aspect of the business, including the design, it’s all about the people.
“So what we have really learned is that people are the base of our business,” Leslie Jones shared with rolling out. “We spent a lot of time curating our wine menu and creating our food menu. And all of those things are great, and that kind of keeps people coming in the door. But, the reason why people have supported us is that we make genuine relationships with our guests that come in the door. We know that the people who support us are the reason why we’re still here. So it’s less important for us to create a new food dish, it’s more important for us to connect with our guests that are here and make sure that they’re having a good time, and that they feel like this is a good space for them.”
While the wine may bring guests to Inglewood’s only wine bar, it’s the menu that steals the show. Dinner guests can enjoy fine dining selections like rib eye or shrimp and risotto not to mention a decadent selection of appetizers, soups, and options for Sunday brunch.
As Black-owned businesses continue to enter the marketplace, the most successful business owners have support from both customers and mentors. With a solid year of operations under their belt, Jones offered the following advice to new business owners no matter what industry they are looking to find success in.
“First thing is, don’t compare yourself in the age of social media,” she said. “It’s really easy to see what other people are doing and say, ‘Oh, they’re further along than me,’ or ‘Oh, maybe I should be doing that.’
“I tell people all the time that if we modeled our wine bar, after all the wine bars that we researched on, I don’t think we would even be here a year later, our community is different, we’re different. And so we use those other businesses as references, but we don’t compare ourselves by any means.”
1010 Wines and Events is located at 1010 N La Brea Ave, Inglewood, CA 90302 For more information about dining, live events and more visit 1010wineandevents.com. Reservations are suggested to ensure seating.
