Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeryl Cole.
Hi Jeryl, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was introduced to sales, customer service and entrepreneurship at a very young age. My family includes several inspiring entrepreneurs across many fields, providing me with a front-row seat to witness great ideas come together to launch successful businesses, such as bars, cell phone stores, carryout restaurants, and real estate ventures. Seeing people take risks and pursue their dreams—even as a side venture—instilled a deep entrepreneurial spirit within me.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s not always easy, but you have to know this when you start a business. It’s not for everyone. I know my upbringing has prepared me to deal with all the things that come up when running a business. In retail, you need a strong team. We take time to train our staff in the systems we created for our shop. We had to learn this in order to grow. Early on, we would hire people and constantly micro-manage. That’s tough to do, and we saw faster turnover in results. Today, we train our staff and we hold them to a high standard. We have created a true customer service-driven liquor store. With our efforts, we make our customers comfortable when they choose to shop with us.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We opened the doors at Off the Rox in 2018. We are a wine, beer, and spirit store located in SE Baltimore in the Highlandtown community.
We are located on historical grounds, the site of the old Haussner’s Restaurant.
Since 2018, we have brought in wines from around the world—mostly sustainable, small-production, and family-owned products.
We conduct tastings in our shop and host community events outside the shop.
Off the Rox also has a large selection of cool snacks, including chips, tinned fish, and sweets.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Baltimore is an great city. I consistently encourage friends to relocate here, and I persuade current residents considering leaving to stay. Our city possesses tremendous potential. My wife and I are raising our four boys here, and we are proudly invested in Baltimore City.
I have very little negative feedback on Baltimore City. I know tons of residents and city officials are working to make this the best city in the world. We all have to do our part. I’m very optimistic about the future of our city.
If I had one negative thing to say, I believe our city hasn’t reached its potential in resident numbers. We can fit another 300,000-500,000 residents.
Contact Info:
- Website: offtheroxwine.com
- Instagram: @offtherox
- Facebook: Off the Rox
