North Carolina dance teacher manages The Tipsy Toad

ELIZABETHTOWN – Bladen County is home to two wonderful vineyards which keep social activities rocking in Southeastern North Carolina.

One of the vineyards which is located just off Highway 87 which is the main penetrator between Wilmington and Fayetteville is The Cape Fear Vineyard and Winery which welcomes weary travelers to their cozy cabins, a world-class restaurant and winery, a petting zoo and their own distillery.

And, oh yeah, the property is filled with metal sculptured toads in various stages of the larger-than-life amphibians enjoying life.

In addition, there is a trendy and up-tempo little building that catches your eye upon entering the vineyard parking lot that is called “The Tipsy Toad Gallery.”

Tina Long is the talented manager that runs the eclectic shop and is also hands-on with many of the vineyard’s activities.

She was born in Morehead City, North Carolina and has spent all of her life here. She graduated from James Kenan High School in Duplin County in 1985 and enjoyed dance, cheerleading and hanging out with her friends during a time in which she said was a little more laid-back than life is today.

“I was a dancer,” she said. “I started taking dance when I was two and then started teaching when I was 14, so I was actually teaching while I was in high school. I did tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, clogging – and a little baton, tumbling… a little bit of everything. Rather than the sports, I did the cheering and I did baton as a majorette. So that was my sport.”

After high school Long attended Mt. Olive college and received her B.S. in business administration in 1989.

“Mt. Olive was only about 20 minutes from home,” she said. “I was able to travel back and forth to Kenansville where I was able to continue my dance classes.”

In addition to attending Mt. Olive, she was elected Miss Pickle Classic in 1987.

“I did take some summer dance classes at East Carolina University,” she said. “But I was a homebody and a home girl, so I would do the summer classes and stay close to home and continue teaching my classes. I have enjoyed all forms of dance and have been teaching it now for 41 years, but my favorite probably would be tap dancing. When I was competing in different competitions, I would always choose that.”

Time has always been in short supply for Long. She is a woman that has worn many hats including dance, a business career, a business owner, a mother and a teacher.

“If I was competing, I still had my job going on and I guess the most demanding thing was the time issue,” she said. “I have continued teaching dance throughout the years and for three years I owned a gift shop in Clinton, North Carolina: Abigail’s Gift Shop. It was Butler’s Gifts for years and I purchased it and owned it, loved it, had a great time with it.”

According to Long, owning her own gift shop was among the items on her bucket-list.

“I didn’t realize it, but in owning the gift shop you live there and you ate it and drank it,” she said. “I was the owner, so I was in charge of everything. Our main focus was bridal registry and china - and it was a fun, fun time. It was a celebration there every day.”

Not only was she nonstop with her business and her teaching, but she also had two children at that time who were in middle school and high school.

“When I jumped into my business and still teaching dance classes, I was missing a lot of family time,” she said. “So, I sold the business after three years and was very close friends with Judith Scott who works here on the property (Cape Fear Vineyard & Winery) and has for seven years. She reached out to me when they decided they were going to move toward opening a gift shop here.”

Her talents at Abigail’s had not gone unnoticed, and when she sold the business, Cape Fear came calling and knew that she would be a good fit.

“I told them that it sounded like a lot of fun, especially since I would not have to be the owner,” she said. “I would just be able to bring the fun into it and the ordering and this and that. The owner’s sister, Grace Ann, this was her baby. It was her dream from day one when the property was purchased to create a gift shop. This has been her dream, pulling everything together. She put it all together – the furniture, the atmosphere – all stem from Grace Ann. She is now in Chicago and visits about every two months.”

With Grace Ann, Judith and Tina all working as a threefold cord, the owner Alex Munroe calls them the three toadettes. This November the Tipsy Toad Gallery will have its three-year anniversary.

The gift shop in Clinton is different in many ways, but her love for running a business comes in her passion for her customers who become friends.

“Hands down, it’s the customers that are my favorite part of running a business,” she said. “Our locals are very supportive and we are so thankful for them. And folks just passing through that find us on Google just pop in and find our 19 cottages a warm and inviting place. They are always very busy and that is why we are building seven more.”

A winery, a distillery, a giftshop, a restaurant, a day spa, walking trail, playground, a petting zoo and so much to see and do.

“We make new friends and they become like family,” she said. “When they come in here, they are just blown away by the breathtaking artwork, all the celebrity pieces and then the added bonus at the back.”

In the back of the gift shop, the custom-made bar is made from an old bus that was reclaimed from a salvage yard in the hills of North Carolina. All the spirits distilled by Cape Fear are on display.

“At the back is the bus,” she said. “This is where all the magic happens. Customers can sample and purchase all of our original 13 award-winning spirits, our 9 divine wines and we even make barbecue sauce. And without the support of our customers, we couldn’t do what we do.”

All of the spirits are distilled, bottled and packaged on-site with the exception of the Blue Agave Tequila which has to be done in Mexico to be a true tequila. One of the most popular spirits is distilled on the property mixing the Blue Agave tequila with different coffee blends. The tequila coffee is done on-site. There is a distillery on the property as well as multiple warehouses across the street from the property. In addition to making their spirits available to customers, guests, gift shop and restaurant, Cape Fear brand spirits are sold at ABC Warehouse and other stores and restaurants in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, parts of Florida, parts of the Virgin Islands, Maryland, New Jersey and they are making plans to move product into Ohio.

“We are a small, but very, very productive company here,” she said. “It all started here when our owner was walking his dog about 10 years ago.”

Munroe actually had owned warehouse space across from where the property sits today. Chuck Heustess, the industrial park developer at the time introduced him to a property that housed a previous winery. The property, according to Long was closed and was for sale. He went out on a limb, purchased the defunct operation and began distilling in a small office that is still next to the Cape Fear Ballroom.

“The grapes here are Carlos Muscadine grapes,” Long said. “So many will ask if we use these grapes to make our wine. The grapes on this property are used by the customers here and the restaurant. But we lease property around the county and surrounding counties to grow these grapes and the Noble Muscadine.”

The Cape Fear Vineyard and Winery are like one big family working to make so many different parts work as a whole.

“We have a nice family unit here which is wonderful,” she said. “It takes a good family unit to keep the wheels turning, so it’s a great place to be, a great place to hang out and a great place to work. And it’s a lot of fun. If I am not here, I feel like I am missing something. If I do have any spare time, it’s usually on the road at trade shows for our spirits and our many festivals.”

The toad may be tipsy, but the manager is strong, focused and runs an incredible venue.