Boston, MA
New in town: A bottle shop that embraces ‘the wonders of not drinking’ – The Boston Globe
“Yes, it’s about the products,” Dooling said. “But it’s also about bringing the nondrinking, sober, and sober curious community together.”
Since it opened Nov. 17, Dray Drinks has been stocked with more than a thousand alternative offerings, including non-alcoholic beer and zero-proof versions of gin, whiskey, and tequila. Dooling added that Dray also sells “functional beverages,” which elicit a relaxing effect, sans the typical tipsiness.
A chunk of the storefront is reserved for tastings and other events for lovers of a fizzy mocktail. And part of the profits will funnel towards a nonprofit affiliate, Dray’s Better Days, to fund community alcohol and drug recovery causes.
What Dooling hopes to tap into is an “undiscovered market” of people embracing sobriety, at least part of the time. More and more drinkers now participate in Dry January or Sober October, annual traditions of forgoing alcohol for a month. And young people are turning away from the bars frequently: Gen Zers are drinking 20 percent less alcohol than young people in past generations, according to a report from Berenberg Research. College students in Massachusetts are embracing booze-free dorms at a rapid clip.
The market is responding to the trend with a force. Sales of zero-proof spirits were up 90 percent from the year prior in 2022, according to a report from Impact DataBank. As Dooling put it, voluntary sobriety “is a freight train coming, and you better not stand in the way of it.”
But as far as he knows, Dray Drinks will be the only “liquor” store in town that’s devoted primarily to non-alcoholic beverages.
Dooling quit drinking himself a few years ago — a lifestyle change he refers to repeatedly as “profound” and “powerful.” His focus now is bringing the “wonders of not drinking to a wider audience,” he said. But it’s certainly Dooling’s first foray into the drinking (or really, nondrinking) game.
He previously worked in investment, private equity, and real estate. (”Maybe someday I’ll figure out what I want to be when I grow up,” Dooling joked.) So the opening of Dray Drinks also represents a shift in his personal priorities. “I had the itch to do something different,” Dooling said, “something more helpful to the world.”
Now Dooling believes people like him finally have a space where they feel safe and seen.
“Because no sober person,” he said, “wants to walk into a liquor store to buy some non-alcoholic beer.”
18 Union Park Street, Boston; www.draydrinks.com
Carry-ons come to Newbury
Looking for luggage? Suitcase startup Away opened a second location in Boston on Newbury Street in late October. The hip luggage-makers broke into the travel market in 2016 and launched its first local storefront on Seaport Boulevard in 2018.
In a press release, the company said it saw 85 percent revenue growth in the region last year, inspiring the idea for a second outpost. It houses the near-complete Away collection, including suitcases starting at $275, “everywhere bags,” and accessories including packing cubes, passport wallets, and jewelry boxes.
“This addition to our fleet reinforces our commitment to meeting our customers where they are and delivering meaningful experiences that inspire them to get away more,” said president Catherine Dunleavy in a statement.
179 Newbury St, Boston; www.awaytravel.com
Blank Street lands at Harvard
Coffee juggernaut Blank Street Coffee has expanded its empire in Boston with a fourth local location in Harvard Square this month.
The “high-tech,” Brooklyn-based brand first landed here in August 2022, with the promise of delivering espresso and pistachio lattes using specialized robotic coffee machines, and at a lower price than its competitors.
When the new spot opened on Nov. 16, baristas began serving up a new cold brew menu, which includes flavors like shaken pumpkin spice, cortado, and chai.
1380 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge; www.blankstreet.com
Diti Kohli can be reached at diti.kohli@globe.com.Follow her @ditikohli_.