Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandy Epps.
Hi Sandy, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I spent the better part of two decades in the music industry, doing everything from working at Houston’s iconic KLOL radio station to joining the management teams for Texas platinum-selling artists like The Toadies and the Butthole Surfers. I eventually moved into the GM role at Austin-based Matchbox Records—while still keeping one foot in artist management with the Australian band OXBLVD. After all those years, I finally realized I’d reached the end of the road with the industry.
I’m not someone who sits still for long, so I had to ask myself what else I knew well. The answer was simple: wine. So I teamed up with the local art gallery in the small town where we lived and raised our family—Columbus, Texas—and opened The Courtyard Wine Bar at the Live Oak Art Center. It brought everything together for me: a relaxed place to gather with friends, share a bottle, and invite my musician friends to perform.
There was just one snag. Columbus was mostly farmers and ranchers who preferred Miller Lite and came to town only for the feed store. It was fun while it lasted, but after two years it became clear it was time to scale things back. As it turned out, the timing was perfect—the pandemic shut everything down a few months later anyway.
Like most people, that period made us reevaluate our lives. We sold our ranch and moved back to Houston. Once things started reopening, I took a sales job with a small wine distributor. That’s where I met my future Reata Cellars business partner, Mary Dodson. She was the Fine Wine Sales Director and handled the company’s Spec’s account, with a long history in the Houston wine market—a palate to match and years of relationships to go with it.
Sales, however, wasn’t for me. After a particularly rough Zoom call with the owner one morning, I phoned Mary and told her I was done—and thinking about opening a tiny wine shop in the Heights. She didn’t hesitate. Two weeks later, Reata Cellars was born.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
In the beginning, our biggest challenge was the build-out of the space. We worked with a contractor who wasn’t fully up to speed on current commercial permitting requirements, which meant we spent a lot of time navigating unexpected hurdles—especially when it came to satisfying the Health Department’s standards for the kitchen area. The biggest lesson we took away from that phase was knowing when to bring in a professional consultant before small issues turned into big ones.
Once we finally opened our doors, things began to click into place with far fewer surprises. We definitely learned some hard lessons about budgeting, especially since Mary and I funded everything ourselves without outside investors. That may change down the road as we continue to grow, but for the launch, it was just the two of us investing in our vision.
From day one, we were intentional about defining who we are and building a marketing identity that felt honest and true to Reata Cellars. Authenticity has been our main focus in everything we do.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Reata Cellars is a bottle shop and wine bar in the Houston Heights, offering a thoughtfully curated selection of fine wines from around the world. It’s a place where you can relax with a glass among friends or stock your home cellar with rare, eclectic bottles you won’t easily find anywhere else.
The atmosphere is warm and casual, but don’t be misled—the wine program is serious. Our owners and staff are both knowledgeable and approachable, ensuring that no matter where you are on your wine journey—novice or seasoned collector—you’ll feel right at home.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
It’s not a risk… it’s a chance. Take the chance. Hard work is what turns that chance into something real—something with a far better shot at a positive outcome.
My entire life has been shaped by taking chances.
At 18, I climbed onto a tour bus with a rock band. Hard work taught me the ins and outs of the music world, eventually leading to a decades-long career and gold and platinum records for the artists I worked with.
At 21, I took what I thought was a “real job” as a receptionist at a brokerage firm. Hard work helped me learn finance, pass the Series 7 exam, and earn a spot in the CEO’s office on the Mergers & Acquisitions team at Paine Webber, a major Wall Street firm.
Later, I moved to Houston and left the finance world, taking a chance on returning to music by enrolling in the Art Institute’s Music Business Program. Hard work paid off again—landing me a job at Houston’s legendary KLOL, which became my stepping stone into artist management.
And then there was the glass of Cabernet from Alexander Valley, California—my birthplace—that sparked a curiosity about wine. That curiosity turned into another chance: opening a wine bar in a small Texas town. That leap eventually led me to my business partner, Mary, and to the creation of Reata Cellars… a story that’s still being written.
Pricing:
- Be a Trusted Source
- Just because you can… doesnt mean you should
- Customers ALWAYS want a “deal”
- Loyal customers want to feel like they are getting something special
- Stay Relevant
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.reatacellars.com
- Instagram: @reatacellars
- Facebook: @reatacellars
