Spirit-Free Bottle Shop Sèchey Opening on King Street Next Month

Entrepreneur Emily Heintz will bring Charleston’s first alcohol-free bottle shop to King Street in February. Heintz recently launched online store Sèchey (French for “to be dry”) and thinks more people are interested in exploring a spirit-free or less-boozy lifestyle.

Heintz knows that Charleston has a reputation as a not-so-sober town, but she also thinks that with the influx of newcomers each day, there’s probably a population of non-drinkers that will appreciate a more sophisticated hydration selection than soda water. “I’m not trying to get you to never drink,” she says, “I just want to give you options for when you want to take a night off.”

Spirit-free bottle shop Sèchey will open at 420 King Street (right next to Blue Bicycle Books) on Monday, February 14. The space will offer shelves of spirit-free wines, beers, and “liquors.” Brands like Jukes, Seedlip, Ghia, Kin Euphorics, and Curious Elixirs will be in heavy rotation.

“I tell people it’s like adding another tool to your shed,” says Heintz, “Your bar cart should have options for non-drinkers coming to your home. I also tell them that there’s just as much flavor in alternative options, so you can lower the alcohol content in the cocktails you’re making, so you won’t be hungover the next day, and that really resonates with people.”

Heintz and Sèchey creative director Elise Nelson built a pop-up shop earlier this month at Wentworth Street hotel the Restoration and discovered that customers are really interested in trying the products before purchasing, so they hope to build on a bar in the future so they can offer a substantial non-spirit cocktail list.

For now, all Sèchey products are available online.

• Sèchey [Official]