FLINT, Michigan — “I really want to open a space where people not only can go to connect, but also you could easily pop in, buy some meat and cheese and a bottle of wine, and go to your friend’s house,” expresses Emily Doerr, founder of Queens’ Provisions Wine & Charcuterie Shop in downtown Flint and the Director of Development and Planning for the City of Flint.
We sit inside Flint Crepe Company on the heels of Queens’ one-year-anniversary block party that shut down the corners of 2nd Ave, Garland, and Lyon Street in Flint’s Carriage Town. The block party, much like Queens’ itself, was a success in bringing out the community that has made the wine & charcuterie shop one of Flint’s newest and notable hotspots.
With brunch served on the weekends, community and corporate gatherings, and high-profile events like Jeff Skigh’s
Wine and Rhymes, Queens’ Provisions under Doerr’s leadership has highlighted the critical component to running a business: serving the people and keeping business as local as possible.
However, the path to get here wasn’t without learning curves. Doerr encountered numerous setbacks from cutting through red tape, building permits, business licensing, zoning, and creating a space that, in her words, embraces “good culture.”
Flintside caught up with Doerr to discuss Queens’ origins, wine misconceptions, and her thoughts on internet-proofing Flint.
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Queens' celebrated its first anniversary on Aug. 11, 2024, packed with patrons and stocked with wine and beer. (Travis Ricketts | Flintside.com)Flintside: Happy first anniversary! What was the moment you were sitting down and said, I’m going to create a wine shop in Flint?
Emily Doerr: “There’s this awesome place in New Orleans called Bacchanal that doesn’t look like much on the outside, but you walk in, and it’s this beautiful wine store, beer in the coolers, and meat and cheese. You pay for it and walk out the back door into this amazing backyard where they have live music every night.
Your meat and cheese are brought out to you, plated. You open your bottle of wine, sit there, and listen to live music, and it’s so cool. So I was like, how do I take that and make it available [in Flint] after 5 p.m., seven days a week, and also have affordable wine where you can grab a bottle and it’s not $40 or $50?”
Flintside: Also, most of your inventory is locally sourced!
E. Doerr: “I buy meat and cheese at Hills at the Farmer’s Market. I get all my breakfast food at Local Grocer. I buy the donuts from Blue Line.”
Flintside: What is the misconception of wine?
E. Doerr: “America has made it sound like wine is only for rich people. You go to Spain and see a guy in a suit and a construction worker drinking the same bottle of wine — the same meat and cheese on their lunch break. In other countries, they don’t treat meat, cheese, and wine like it’s a delicacy. It’s the basics. I don’t like the classism of what America’s doing with wine and alcohol.”
Flintside: How has it been building Queens’ over the past year?
E. Doerr: “People doing events there, that’s been the thing. It needs to keep going. It’s not just me being open — it’s that people choose to have events there and get 20 or 40 of their friends to show up. I love having a space where Black women want to come and drink wine. That’s a big deal. Because then this is your space. I think that’s so important. I don’t want anybody to feel they’re being used. I want people to walk into Queens’ and be like I am wanted here.”
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Food trucks were abundant for Queens' block party on Aug. 11, 2024. (Travis Ricketts | Flintside.com)Flintside: What motivates you to advocate for inclusivity, especially for businesses downtown?
E. Doerr: “We need to embrace good culture. I bought a poster when I was in New Orleans back in 2019 that says 'keep the culture alive.' It was a New Orleans thing because a lot of musicians and creatives there felt like their culture was being exploited. It’s pretty much like Detroit. Everybody in the world thinks Detroit is so cool. That’s not because of white people. Detroit has this swagger. New Orleans has this swagger. Flint has this swagger. [It’s] honoring a certain level of authenticity, and you can’t just manufacture that.”
Flintside: Where and how do you see Queens’ Provisions evolving?
E. Doerr: “To move this business model to a bigger space, but then be able to keep, what is that cute little amazing space without feeling the pressure of needing to be able to offer a space for more people. I love this space. I don’t want to let it go, but I wonder if it makes sense to try to have a second location, and then that way, the two can work in partnership.”
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From the inside to outside, Queens' one-year-anniversary block party on Aug. 11, 2024, saw big crowds of supporters and community members. (Travis Ricketts | Flintside.com)Flintside: What lessons did you learn during this first year?
E. Doerr: “Doing inventory. Wine and beer distributors are gonna try to make you buy as much s**t from them as you can get tricked into doing. [Also], this particular type of wine people like has really good value, whereas this other wine has a cuter label, but it’s not going to sell as well. Then, the timing of when I purchase and get it on the shelf. That’s been a very steep learning curve. [Also], I tell people all the time that I’ve made that mistake too, where you’re trying to save on cost, and it’s never worth it. Pull a permit and get it inspected.”
Flintside: What’s something you’re grateful for with Queens’?
E. Doerr: “I’ve had amazing staff. My staff has been amazing, taking ownership of what they’re doing. None of us are wine experts, but [we’re] learning how to describe the wine in ways that’s accessible and easy. I am blessed with good staff and I don’t take that for granted.”
Flintside: In closing, what’s something you want to leave the people who read this?
E. Doerr: “I get worried that Amazon is killing small businesses. Queens’ is a little bit Amazon-proof. As long as we keep making sure that people experience new things and try new things, and then obviously have gathering space the internet can’t replace, that’s a good thing. What kind of businesses will endure in this 21st century? How do we internet-proof our built environment and the type of city we want?”
Visit Queens’ Provisions website to find out hours of operation, their menu, catering and event options, and more. Also, stay connected by following Queens’ Provisions on Instagram and Facebook.