Today we’d like to introduce you to Grace Vroom.
Hi Grace, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
For most of my life, I was navigating major anxiety and obsessive thoughts with alcohol while trying to “find my way” in my relationships and career path. This led me down quite a winding road until about six years ago when I realized that everything I was trying to tamper down with booze needed some attention if I was going to meet any of my goals (ugh!). At 26, I left my life in Boston behind, moved to Austin so I could be closer to family, and got sober. Since then, I landed the world’s most incredible partner, started a coaching business for women and queer folx who are sober-curious, and am opening a mobile bar and shop that specializes in non-alcoholic spirits, wine, and beer next year!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Oh hell no. I had heard this a lot but didn’t really understand the weight of it until I first attempted sobriety – you truly have to work at it every single day. Some are far easier than others but when you’ve got companies spending HEAPS AND HEAPS of money every year to trick us into thinking that their poisonous product is the fuel of fun, the elixir of life, and the key to an exciting existence…you have to fight against it on a regular basis. Alcohol is the only drug you have to justify not taking, and it causes more deaths every year than all other drugs combined. When I got to Austin and stopped drinking, it opened my eyes to just how prevalent booze is in our culture – you’ll see it in the gas station when you grab a water on a road trip, you’ll see mini bottles of it in oversized bowls as you check out at Whole Foods, you’ll pass by it when grabbing your prescription at CVS. You’ll look up yoga classes to try and chill out for once and see that at least half of them have “wine” in the title. There was booze on-tap at the office where I worked, which was considered a “perk” by our sales team. It’s quite literally everywhere. So the road to sobriety was messy and exhausting, to say the least. Coaching has been a dream experience in helping others feel less alone as they navigate that messy and exhausting journey. Now, as my partner, Joe, and I go through the tedious process of opening up a mobile retail business, there are more hurdles because we’re creating something that hasn’t been tested much in Austin yet – we’re grateful that there have been some incredible trailblazers working on similar concepts before us (check out Sans Bar, y’all!)
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m excited to launch a business that can travel to various events in Austin and not only serve delicious and intriguing booze-free drinks but also bring the brands that are popping up in the non-alcoholic space directly to people here in Austin. There is so much intrigue around some of these non-alcoholic spirits (do they taste like the real thing? how should I mix it for a party drink?), adaptogenic drinks (how does this help with stress? does it taste funky?), and everything else (which seltzer is best on its own vs in a cocktail?) – we want people to be able to taste it, think on it, and talk to us (we’ve been trying these products for over five years now) so they can have the best experience possible with these new types of beverages, no matter what the occasion. Check us out at @dearatx to get details on our launch!
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Definitely going to our neighborhood video store, Premiere Video, and spending hours with my family looking at all the movies they had as we tried to decide which ones to rent for the weekend. I loved talking to the owner, Sam, about which movies just got released, which oldies to check out, and why I fell in love with what we just returned. It was a magical land that I wish I could revisit!
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@gracevroom.com
- Website: www.dearatx.com
- Instagram: @dearatx
- Facebook: @gracevroom
