Gwen Hurt of Shoe Crazy Wine.
How a Chesterfield County woman turned a crisis into success.
There’s truth to the theory that when you hit rock bottom, the only way is up. Gwen Hurt is living proof. In 2013, within days of losing her job and suffering serious injuries in a car accident, the Chesterfield County woman saw opportunity in crisis and fulfilled her dream of going into the wine business. Seven years later, her company, Shoe Crazy Wine, offers eight varieties, produced in California and Washington, which she distributes herself and sells to major national merchants, including Walmart and Total Wine.
“We self-distribute because none of the national or local distributors would pick up our wines. Therefore we took up the gauntlet,” Hurt says, adding that her company sold just under $500,000 worth of product in 2019, making Shoe Crazy Wine a great success story. But why the name? “When I asked what I should call my company, my daughter Brittny said, ‘Name it [after] something you love,’” Hurt says. “And I love shoes and wine!” ShoeCrazyWine.com
This article originally appeared in our October 2020 issue.
