Meet Juerie & Paul Masters | Wine Merchants

We had the good fortune of connecting with Juerie & Paul Masters and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Juerie & Paul, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I think our business found us. Between us, Juerie and I have been in the wine business for over 30 years. Going into business for ourselves was always going to happen in one way or another and the more we talked about it, the clearer it became that we would really love to run a store that sold the kind of wines that we like to drink and engaged customers in an experiential kind of way – we could never be a store where the owners or staff just sat at the counter waiting for customers to come up to them – we wanted to engage with people and help foster a love for wine. So, in thinking that, the idea for our business just kind of formed its own shape naturally. We talked a lot about things we didn’t like in wine shops and discussed how we would change those things and what we would do differently. In looking at what we didn’t like we found what we should do.

What should our readers know about your business?
We opened Clos about four months into the Covid-19 lockdown, at the beginning of July 2020, having applied for a license in March of 2019. Not many people know we used our life savings for this project rather than relying on investors. So right off the bat we were facing an uphill battle – we couldn’t take on fulltime jobs because the issuing agency couldn’t tell us when our license would be granted – it could be twelve weeks, it could be twelve months was the best answer we could get. In the end it took some fifteen months so that was pretty hard on our budget. On the bright side, people were obviously in a collective wine-drinking mood so we were warmly received to say the least. Complete strangers brought us flowers when we opened the doors! It’s exciting to be in a neighborhood where we feel appreciated, a neighborhood where we feel part of the community. Along the way we’ve worked hard to foster a sense of community among our customers. Engagement is critical for us, it’s what helps set us apart from others. Our customers are comfortable coming to us to talk about wine no matter their level of knowledge and that means everything to us. We said at the outset we wanted Clos to take the mystery and snobbery out of wine! It fits with our passion for bringing wine to the people without getting caught up in technical jargon or mysterious language that can sometimes put people off.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Wow, San Diego has so many things to do that we love showing our friends when they visit. One of the coolest things about living here is you can spend the days outside having fun, chill for a while and then go out at night. Options are obviously kind of limited right now but in the past or in the near future it might look like this: Monday afternoon we can take in one of the art museums at Balboa Park, followed by a leisurely stroll around the Prado, and then grab an early dinner at Azuki Sushi just a block away on 5th Ave. On Tuesday let’s go over to Coronado in the afternoon. Take a walk along the beach, then get some serious pampering taken care of at the Spa at The Del and then hang out listening to music and chowing down at the Hotel Del Taco Shack. Wednesday is time to head up to La Jolla and grab a little lunch at Cody’s. After a light lunch we’ll stroll the beach, then take in some kayaking. Then it’s time for a stroll and then sunset and dinner at Herringbone. Thursday afternoon we’re heading up to the San Diego Botanic Garden at Leucadia and taking in the sights. Then a coffe stop followed by a stroll around some of the cool little stores there. After that we’ll head up to Oceanside and get some mind-blowing seafood at Wrench and Rodent. Friday we’ll head over to Morning Glory in Little Italy for a late breakfast and coffee, then walk around the waterfront and take in the sights. For a late lunch, grab some fried chicken from the Crack Shack and take it over to Vino Carta to have a bottle of wine, chill and do some people watching. If we’re still in the mood to be out, maybe we’ll hang out for a bit at Kettner Exchange for cocktails and more people watching haha! Saturday we’ll take an easy hike up at Torrey Pines and later that day head downtown and maybe book a table and watch the sunset at The Nolen Rooftop. Sunday – brunch day! We’ll head up to Pacific Beach and grab some brunch and sea views at Crushed.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We want to give a big shout out to all the crew at Campestre Mag, the best local wine zine out there! The gang at Campestre have been amazingly welcoming and supportive to us. As folks moving here to set up a business and a new life it can challenging to find friends and people who will support you. Campestre has been that for us. From organizing events, to being great customers and supporters, to being excellent industry colleagues, they’re the best!!

Website: closwineshop.com

Instagram: @closwineshop

Image Credits
David Conty.