‘​It’s the best thing I’ve ever done’: Meet the Southsea entrepreneur living on cloud wine

In the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, when many were understandably cautious, Lucy Jackson decided to leave behind her corporate London life and take a step into the unknown, by starting her own business.

‘I was living in London just as Covid hit big time,’ says Lucy.

‘It was coming to a crunch point with my job, it made me think – why would I want to carry on doing something if I don't necessarily enjoy it?’

Lucy, 35, who was living in Acton with her partner Andrew and working in corporate marketing production, had always wanted to pursue her interest in wines but initially dismissed the idea as an unachievable dream.

‘It was something I didn't think was possible, but the more I thought about it I thought, well, why isn’t it?’

However, when Covid struck and Portsmouth-born Lucy toyed with the idea of moving closer to her family who are spread out over Gosport, where Lucy grew up, and Fareham – the dream began to seem plausible.

‘I think [Covid] just made us re-evaluate things and think about what was important,’ she says.

‘It got to the point where we were coming up to the end of our contract. I said to my now husband, ‘I think we should look to move back because it would be better to be back living closer to family.’

Lucy and Andrew moved back to her home turf in May 2020, buying a flat in Southsea, and the aspiring entrepreneur started a sommelier course in October of the same year, graduating in summer 2021 and becoming a fully qualified wine connoisseur.

‘I thought I should try and give it a go and if it didn’t work out, then at least I’d tried and I could say I'd done it,’ Lucy adds.

‘I put in about six months of research and went from there. Then I thought, what’s the perfect place to own a wine shop? It seemed like something that was missing in Southsea so we decided to open here.’

In March 2022 Lucy opened the doors of her new store, Wines by the Sea, on Albert Road and as the shop nears its first anniversary, the wine enthusiast has never been happier to have made the jump.

‘Our first year of trading has been more successful than I thought it was going to be,’ says Lucy.

‘Everyone over Christmas was so supportive, it completely blew me away how amazing people were.

On shopping local she adds: ‘We tried to shop in shops around this area to buy presents, it’s about that give and receive, you hope if you do it to others people will come back and shop with you.’

Lucy runs the store with the help of wine expert Susan Moran, who she says is an ‘amazing help’ and ‘massive asset’ to her business.

‘It’s been the best thing I’ve ever done, it’s been amazing, I have no regrets about it,’ adds Lucy.

‘Most of my customers are people who I never knew before, you build a community. Even walking down the street, people recognise you, it’s so nice,’ she adds.

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But Wines by the Sea isn’t your average liquor store. Lucy’s vision for the shop was to maintain a focus on stocking local suppliers from in and around the city.

‘I always wanted to do wines from around the world, but where we could I felt it was the right thing to give back to the community by stocking the local brands from the area.’

‘There’s not many places where you can buy from a shop that specialises in local trade from a wines, beers and spirits point of view.’

All products sold at the store have been carefully researched and selected by Lucy herself.

‘All the wines I've tried and tasted, I wouldn’t be selling them if I didn't feel they were good enough.

‘Everything has earned a place in an independent shop, everything that’s purchased is considered,’ she says.

‘When you’re buying from that person, you know there’s a reason they have it in and why it features as part of their shop. It’s nice to pick something they feel is best.’

From beers featuring Staggeringly Good Brewery, based in Fratton, Urban Island Brewing Co and Makemake Brewery & Fermentary, in Portsmouth, Gosport-based brewery’s Powder Monkey and Fallen Acorn, to spirits – Portsmouth Distillery, Southsea Spirit, Vaudville spirits, and Mermaid gin and vodka from Isle of Wight.

Not forgetting the shop's namesake, Chichester-based wines from Tinwood Estate and Ashling Park Wine.

‘It does come down to having that niche, being one of the only ones in the area,’ says Lucy.

‘Instead of having to go somewhere like Waitrose or Tesco, there’s a bit more of a specialist knowledge. Me and Susan are both wine educated so you get more of a premium service than you would just going into a supermarket and buying something off the shelf.’

This mentality, Lucy says, is one that is felt strongly throughout Albert Road and Southsea, with locals choosing to support independent businesses over huge chains.

‘People seemed to have really backed us up and tried to support us which is really nice.’

‘Albert Road is a good place to have an independent shop, it feels like it really pays off being here because you get the support from everyone around you.

‘The day we came back, we noticed people chatting to each other, there’s more of a community feel than there ever was when we lived in London.’

So of course, when it came to organising her wedding to her partner Andrew in October last year, Lucy made no exception – it had to be local.

Starting with Creatiques Bridal Boutique, Albert Road, for the dress, headdress and veil, Bentleys tailors, Albert Road, for Andrew’s suit, and wedding rings by Charlotte Cornelius in Marmion Road. Flowers were Blossom Boutique, in Palmerston Road, and the venue where the magic happened – the Elizabeth Room at The Queens Hotel.

Makeup was purchased from Alice & Ivy, Marmion Road, hair was by Liam from Tony Wood Hair, their photographer – Tom Langford based in Hilsea – and Outside & Instant, based in Gosport, were there with a photobooth for the evening guests.

The Beach café in Eastney where Lucy often holds her wine tasting events also supplied cheese, crackers and chutneys.

‘Planning our wedding was fabulous, being able to meet local suppliers and choose everything locally was a dream.

‘We were grateful to all the local suppliers who were a part of our special day,’ says Lucy.

‘My neighbouring shop Styles completed my look with a set of fabulous nails. He has always been so supportive since I have opened, as have all the local business community.’

To those considering the jump, Lucy says do it.

‘There is a lot of support from Portsmouth City Council and various self employment start up companies that can offer grants and support.

‘It really did take going through something like the pandemic to realise life is quite short. Even though it may be quite scary or a bit risky, it works out so much better and you feel so much happier for doing something that is your own.’