Pass through the unassuming door at 442 2nd Street North in downtown St Pete and the first thing you’ll notice is the wine. Colorful bottles line the walls and the countertops, framing a glass cabinet of artisan cheeses and meats. They are stacked high and low on shelves, familiar and exotic filling every inch, labels beckoning to be read.

Oenophile (wine lover) or not, any curious person here for the first time will fall quickly in love with MUST Wine Loft and perhaps soon find themselves among the ranks of locals who return again and again for the high-quality, sustainably produced wine and food products and sense of discovery that founders Jessica Arkwright and Raymond Cotteret have so perfectly and intricately woven into the space. 

MUST is a nonintimidating place, where anyone can ask questions about the sometimes-intimidating subjects of wine and cheese, and feel genuinely welcomed; soon, it will be a place to shop for groceries, grab a coffee, and get some work done too. Next fall, after launching in March 2020 and thriving in a year of uncertainty, MUST Wine Loft will take over its neighboring lease in the historic 5th Avenue Lofts and expand next door.

Beyond more retail space for both domestic and imported products, the new addition will contain market-style niceties like a cheese bar, vermouth tasting, a Chef’s Table featuring a varied food menu, single-person seating along the window, additional group seating, and more room to sit outside. Founders Arkwright and Cotteret are already in conversation with the city about beautifying the streetscape it will soon occupy along 5th Avenue North, creating even more of a community feel.

“I want the space to feel like you're in Alice in Wonderland,” says Arkwright, who moved home to St. Pete to be closer to her family ten years ago after working in restaurants and studying sustainable design in Chicago. “From there I’d like the customer to ask themself ‘What is this?,’ ‘What have I stumbled into?’ We want you to be curious. We aren’t going to carry brands that you see everywhere.”

If there was ever a place to try something new, it’s definitely here. Arkwright and Cotteret know what they’re doing; formerly at Locale Market at Sundial, which long-time St. Pete residents will remember for its high-quality, local market vibe, both have impressive resumes in the industry. Their passion and commitment to food and wine as a craft informs every detail of the business, from each intentionally selected item on the shelves to the interactive “Learn to Flight” classes offered weekly.

Every item in the store is sustainably grown and produced, if not organic-certified, and sourced from producers who are conscious of their socioeconomic and business footprint, including how they care for their workers, wildlife, and surrounding environment.

“We see food as a story - where it's made, how a brand started, the time it took to make, the attention to detail” notes Cotteret, a 45-year resident of St. Pete who grew up working in his family grocery store in France and came out of retirement to launch MUST last year. “There are thousands of wines and cheeses in the world and even in sixty years, I haven't tried them all. I want people to be food-curious. Not just taking pictures, but I want them to learn about how the food is made, because that is important, that teaches you respect for the product.”

In the expanded MUST, part of fostering that respect and love for products and their stories will be through more organized tastings, classes, and a new membership program that enables the food-curious to indulge in the experience of discovery in even more ways.

In the meantime, in the existing space, guests can continue to enjoy MUST’s current menu of charcuterie boards, tapas and pintxos, paninis, flatbreads, seasonal salads, and more.

For dining on site, wine is available by the glass or bottle, with bottles starting as low as $25 and going up to $45. Customized charcuterie boards start at $18 for three cheeses and/or meats and tapas to share range from $6 to $16. All are made from the finest ingredients and paired with the perfect, perhaps unexpected, glass of wine. 

“That’s why I love wine - you are always discovering new things every single day. It feeds my curiosity, it gets me excited to share it and to see other people taste and experience it,” says Arkwright. “That brings me joy. It’s rewarding.”

Come for the classics, or try something new. Either way, you’ll leave MUST with the highest quality product and, most importantly, a story about what makes it special and why it matters.

“When you get to my age, you amass a lot of information, and you want to pass it along,” says Cotteret, who is approaching his 70th birthday. “That’s my main objective right now, to try to teach people what I know and learn from them too. It's always a learning experience.”

MUST Wine Loft is open Wednesday and Thursday from 4-9pm, Friday from 4-10pm, and Saturday from 12-10pm throughout the summer. The current location will remain open throughout the expansion, which will begin in the fall after officially taking over the neighboring lease in October. Learn to Flight classes take place every week, on-site and in the community, and can be attended virtually or in person. Learn more at mustwineloft.com and by following the shop on Facebook and Instagram.