Food & Drink: Find Approachable Quality Beverages atSaint Brighid’s, a Community Bar & Bottle Shop

By Emma Castleberry

Saint Brighid’s is a local bar and bottle shop located within Marquee Asheville, a 5,000-square-foot collective of artisan vendors in the River Arts District. While developing Marquee, owner Robert Nicholas reached out to Keith and Halle Hirsch, knowing that they were beverage enthusiasts. “He gave us a tour and, I’m not kidding, it was a dirt floor,” says Keith. But they could see Robert’s vision for Marquee, and they liked it. “We believed in the space, but I think what it’s become has surprised us all.”

What it’s become is a thriving cultural and artistic hub with more than 300 vibrant booths, with Saint Brighid’s retail and bar space situated at the front entrance of the long building. Visitors walk up a ramp and on their left, they find a cozy corner with beautiful wooden picnic tables, high tops with upholstered velvet stools and a colorful bottle shop. The metal work in Saint Brighid’s bar and shelves are part of a collection designed and built by Valerie Hoh and Cynthia Wynn, two artists out of Key West, FL. The heavy metal furniture sat in storage for 17 years before being repurposed and installed throughout the Marquee. “People will have completely different experiences coming in here,” says Keith. “It’s not one of those cookie-cutter things where you walk in and everybody’s getting the same thing. This place is so broad and so organic.”

Saint Brighid’s has an elegant-yet-steam-punk vibe, and what’s immediately notable is the sheer diversity of inventory. There are dozens of shelves, and each one features numerous labels. Not only is this variety of color and shape aesthetically pleasing but it also means that shoppers are spoiled for choice and can often try limited-edition, small-batch releases during their visit to Saint Brighid’s.

“We wanted to narrow our beer selection down to just things that were less than 10 cases available to the entire Southeast,” says Keith. “With wine, our ethos is that everything has to be multi-generational organic.”

Rarity is a big theme at Saint Brighid’s, but they also prioritize approachability. Keith explains that they’ll take “deep cut wines that might end up in some collector’s cellar” and sell them in their cooler or by the glass. “We wanted a place where it was very easy to come in and if you didn’t know anything about wine, you could just shop by label and find a fantastic bottle of organic wine and not have to know anything about it,” he says.

The Hirsches take a holistic approach to curating their inventory. “We like to look at all aspects,” says Halle. “Not just, is this a liquid and does it taste good—though that’s important too—but also the people who are involved in making and the energy that they’re bringing into it.”

That philosophy carries over to Saint Brighid’s selection of non-alcoholic drinks, which is also extensive. Marquee is a family-friendly space that’s open during the day, and the Hirsches don’t actually drink alcohol much anymore, so they bring the same thoughtful curation to their array of NA cocktails, imported ciders, beers and more. “It wasn’t an afterthought for us,” Halle says. “We think it’s such a great thing to be available for so many people.”

The name Saint Brighid’s is deeply meaningful to the Hirsches, who both have Celtic ancestry. Saint Brighid appears throughout history in a number of different roles, including as a goddess of art, music, beer and wine. “She’s also known as a love goddess,” says Halle. “That was very near and dear to me because of the overarching love that goes into creating a place in the community that is for everyone. We wanted a place where people could come together in what might now be considered an old-fashioned way, and Saint Brighid feels like a beautiful symbol of that.”

Saint Brighid’s is located within Marquee Asheville at 36 Foundy Street. Learn more at SaintBrighids.com.