The Garage is Dead/Long Live the Warehouse
Jens tells us that the struggle for the 'wine garage' has been lost (well, I wouldn't call it lost. He did save $20k):
"As you can tell I have decided to change names and not fight (spend $20K) but am still working out the details. I now have to get all those links switched over to the new address without losing my web presence. I still thinks it's ludricrous concerning the claim I am "confusing" customers. What, you can't figure out if you are buying micro-wines from a California retailer versus posted wines in an Ohio retail store. If I had set up shop across the street from him, I would understand, but 2,000 miles away. He needs to work on his Google optimizations, or hell start a blog and spend some time developing his brand, like I did!"
There's a lesson in here (as there are also likely to be a few legal issues as well). Say you're a wine shop and want to play on the Internet.
Free advice #1: Don't google your wine shop's name and have a hissy fit if someone, somewhere has a remotely similar name, and gasp, this other person too is involved in wine.
Free advice#2: After the hissy fit don't contact your lawyer and attack this other person - especially when he's very well connected to a network of friends who host thousands of visitors every day.
Free advice#3: Now that you've gone and strong-armed this person into submission, don't expect to be viewed favorably by the rapidly growing network of wine bloggers. We don't like our friends getting attacked.
The Cinci Wine Garage is Dead.
Long Live the Cincinnati Wine Warehouse!
Please update your links and drop by Jens' new place (and, shhhhh. don't tell anyone that his new place looks vaguely garage-like).
HA!
That will learn him to be mean to bloggers!
POWER TO THE PEOPLE :)
Posted by: clare eats | 05 December 2005 at 12:06 AM
You are too kind for all your help. Check out this site:
http://www.winegarage.com.sg/
jens at cincinnati wine warehouse (no relation to tony's in dallas or that fire in vallejo)
Posted by: jens at cincinnati wine | 05 December 2005 at 10:36 AM
I just re-read the post and it sounds vaguely gangster-like. Just to let you know, I don't own a baseball bat. Although I do now own one mean immersion blender. It would be a shame if someone were to misuse said blender..
Posted by: beau | 05 December 2005 at 02:40 PM