Toronto's first non-alcoholic bottle shop closes permanently
The first-ever non-alcoholic bottle shop to plant roots in Toronto has closed its retail store for good.
In just a few short years, the non-alcoholic (NA, for those in the know) beverage scene has blossomed from a handful of weak substitutes haphazardly slapped on the end of cocktail menus to a leviathan entirely its own.
No longer are NA beverages exclusively the domain of those who are sober year-round or dipping their toes in with a dry January (which is right around the corner, might I add): anyone can experiment with and enjoy a non-alcoholic drink just as much as they might its boozy counterpart.
On the cutting edge of the NA movement in Toronto was bevvy's, a sleek bottle shop in the heart of Kensington Market, a zero-proof answer to the city's scores of stylish wine and beer shops like Grape Witches and Paradise Grapevine.
Seeking to redefine drinking culture for a growing sober and "sober-ish" audience, bevvy's became a go-to over the course of its nearly two years in business alongside contemporaries like The Sobr Market.
Still, the NA scene is young, meaning it's in a constant state of flux, and according to an Instagram post recently shared by bevvy's, the Kensington Market bottle shop is a casualty.
"Two years ago, we opened Toronto's very first non-alcoholic bottle shop — a place built around one mission: to make it easier to find and enjoy the very best NA drinks in the city," the caption of the post reads.
"Back then, finding a great non-alcoholic option was almost impossible. The category was small, store shelves were limited, and most people hadn't even tasted a NA drink they genuinely loved. We wanted to change that — and together, we did."
Still, the bevvy's team explains in the caption, the NA industry still has a long way to go when it comes to retail and, as a result, their own retail store is now a thing of the past.
Though bevvy's brick-and-mortar has closed permanently, the business is still alive, operating as a wholesaler for restaurants and bars in the city.
"We'll continue focusing on serving the restaurants, hotels, and venues across Toronto that want to offer the very best NA drinks for their guests."
bevvy's was formerly located at 3 Nassau St.
bevvy's
