Locke Store

What Locke Store does

Locke Store is a privately-held, single-location gourmet grocery, deli, bakery, and wine shop operating in the historic village of Millwood, Virginia, in Clarke County. Founded in 2002 and operating with roughly 8 employees, the business sells seasonal deli items (sandwiches, soups, salads, bakery goods), locally-made foods, and a curated selection of wines, craft beers, and ciders sourced from Virginia vintners and sustainable, organic, and biodynamic producers. The store runs Monday–Friday 9am–6pm and weekends 9am–5pm, serves lunch and dinner to-go, and supports local agriculture as a stated focus.

The company monetizes through three interlocking streams: in-store retail (transactional), a Wine Club subscription program with three tiers (Villages $40/month, Premier Cru $60/month, Grand Cru $80/month, with an upgrade to four bottles for $150/month) that delivers curated bottles, member discounts, and access to tastings and pairing dinners, and pickup-only catering for events of 15 to 50+ guests booked 2–3 weeks in advance. Distribution is entirely through the single physical storefront; there is no e-commerce, no mobile app, and no delivery. Marketing is conducted via weekly email newsletter and Instagram (@lockestore). Owner-Chef Max Emma is identified as the operational lead, particularly for Wine Club pairing dinners. The firm carries no disclosed funding, no parent company, and no partnerships or alliances on record.

Name

Locke Store

Legal name

Locke Store

Website

https://lockestore.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Locke Store is a privately-held gourmet grocery, deli, bakery, and curated wine shop in Millwood, Virginia, serving local Clarke County residents and wine enthusiasts via a single retail storefront, a three-tier Wine Club subscription, and pickup-only catering.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Food Retail

NAICS

Specialty Food Retailers (4452), All Other Specialty Food Retailers (445298), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (4453), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532)

SIC

Retail-Food Stores (5400)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYCRAHAGAK

Specialty Wine-Adjacent Food Stores (Cheese/Gourmet Pairings)

Consumer Products & Retail/Grocery & Food Retail/Specialty Food Stores (Deli, Cheese, Gourmet, Bakery)

SECONDARYCRANABAF

Alcohol Subscription & Wine Clubs (Retail)

Consumer Products & Retail/Tobacco, Alcohol & Cannabis Retail/Beer, Wine & Spirits Specialty Retail

SECONDARYCRANAAAI

Alcohol Subscription Clubs & Membership Retail

Consumer Products & Retail/Tobacco, Alcohol & Cannabis Retail/Alcohol Retail (Liquor Stores & Off-Premise)

Keywords

• Gourmet grocery store
• Deli and bakery
• Wine shop
• Wine club membership
• Event catering

Headquarters

HQ city

Millwood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Retail Sales: In-store sales of gourmet groceries, deli items, baked goods, wine, craft beers, and cider to consumers visiting the Millwood, Virginia location
2. Wine Club Memberships: Monthly subscription memberships (Villages $40/mo, Premier Cru $60/mo, Grand Cru $80/mo) providing curated wine bottles, discounts on purchases, and exclusive access to tastings and events
3. Catering Services: Catering orders for events (50+ guests to intimate dinners of 15) including party platters, soups, salads, sandwiches, entrees, sides, and baked goods. Pickup only service.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Locke Store operates a modern country store and deli in Millwood, Virginia, selling gourmet groceries, fresh deli meals (sandwiches, soups, salads), bakery items, curated wines, craft beers, and cider. The store hosts complimentary weekend wine tastings and operates a tiered wine club subscription offering monthly curated bottles, discounts, and exclusive events. Pick-up catering services are available for events ranging from 15 to 50+ guests.

Product overview

Locke Store is a modern country store and deli operating as a single unified retail offering in Millwood, Virginia. The business combines a gourmet grocery and deli operation with an expansive wine program. Core offerings include seasonal deli menus (sandwiches, soups, salads, bakery items), curated wine selection featuring Virginia and international producers, craft beer and cider, and catering services. The wine program is a major differentiator, comprising weekend complimentary tastings, a three-tier wine club membership (Villages, Premier Cru, and Grand Cru ranging from $40-$80/month), and detailed monthly tasting notes published through a wine club archive. The store operates as a single physical retail location with no digital product components.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Locke Store Wine Club: Wine club membership program offering three tiers (Villages, Premier Cru, Grand Cru) with monthly wine selections, tastings, and discounts on wine purchases.
• Weekend Wine Tastings

Products and services

• Gourmet Grocery & Deli Modern country store offering seasonal blackboard menus, locally-made foods, fresh-baked goods, and prepared deli items including sandwiches, soups, salads, and bakery products for walk-in retail customers.
• Wine Selection Expansive selection of highly curated wines featuring world-class Virginia vintners and craft brewers, alongside interesting international wines from sustainable, organic, and biodynamic producers, sold in-store.
• Craft Beer & Cider Selection of craft beers and cider complementing the wine offerings, sold in-store.
• Catering Services Catering services for celebrations of 50 or intimate dinners for 15, offering party platters, fresh soups, salads, sandwiches, elegant entrees, sides, and baked goods. Pick-up only; typically books 2-3 weeks in advance.
• Weekend Wine Tastings Complimentary wine tastings hosted each weekend featuring selected wines with a 10% discount available to newsletter subscribers on the featured wines.
• Locke Store Wine Club Wine club membership with three tiers (Villages $40/month, Premier Cru $60/month, Grand Cru $80/month) offering monthly tastings, seasonal pairing dinners, educational classes, winemaker access, and wine discounts on House Account purchases.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Balducci's: Specialty gourmet food market with strong wine program, prepared foods, bakery, and catering. Comparable to Locke Store as a brick-and-mortar gourmet retailer combining a curated wine selection with a deli/prepared food operation and event catering.
• Citarella: NYC gourmet market with curated specialty groceries, prepared foods, and wine. Comparable as a high-touch specialty retailer combining deli/prepared foods with curated wine and beer in a destination-store format.
• Di Bruno Bros. Philadelphia specialty food market with curated cheeses, gourmet groceries, a robust wine selection, and catering services. Comparable as a multi-format specialty retailer combining deli/gourmet grocery, curated beverages, and event catering under a strong house brand.
• Zingerman's: Ann Arbor-based specialty food market and deli with a strong in-store experience, mail-order business, and food-related events. Directly comparable as a founder-anchored, multi-vertical specialty food business combining deli, bakery, curated pantry, and educational programming in a single destination.

Broad incumbents

• Whole Foods Market: National specialty grocer with strong prepared foods, bakery, wine, and local-producer sourcing positioning. Comparable as a specialty grocery operator with curated wine and prepared deli, but at massive scale and with broader assortment versus Locke Store's local single-store footprint.
• Total Wine & More: Large multi-store wine, beer, and spirits retailer with in-store tastings and a broad assortment. Comparable on the wine retail and tasting-event dimensions, but operates at far greater scale and with a much wider non-curated assortment than Locke Store's boutique wine club focus.
• Eataly: Multi-location gourmet marketplace combining specialty grocery, prepared foods, wine, and on-site restaurants. Comparable on the gourmet-food-meets-wine destination-store concept, but at much larger scale with on-premise dining that Locke Store does not operate.

Emerging players

• Wine.com: Online wine retailer with subscription clubs and curated wine discovery. Comparable on the curated wine and subscription-club dimensions that drive Locke Store's wine program, but pure-play digital versus Locke Store's physical-store retail and tasting-led acquisition.
• Goldbelly: Online marketplace for artisanal and regional foods from small producers. Comparable on the curated-local-producer curation angle that drives Locke Store's deli and bakery selection, but purely e-commerce versus Locke Store's in-store model.
• Winc: Online wine subscription club delivering curated bottles monthly. Comparable as a recurring subscription wine club with curation as the core value proposition, but entirely digital versus Locke Store's in-person tasting-led model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lockestore
• Instagraminstagram.com/lockestore
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/locke-store-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Locke Store