Church Street Family Hospitality group named Alabama’s retailer of the year

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Pourhouse, Mazzara’s, Purveyor, Sea Salt, and Catacomb are just a few of Church Street Hospitality Group’s unique establishments.

“Honestly, every new concept that we bring is, very organic, and it’s us just talking to people,” said Stephanie-Kennedy Mell.

Matt and Stephanie-Kennedy Mell are the married duo behind the hospitality group.

Matt is originally from Scottsboro and Stephanie is from New York. After living in California, the two decided it was time to move south.

“We kind of missed our families on the East Coast,” said Stephanie. “And, he’s like, ‘let’s move back to New York,’ and I said, ‘Well, how would you feel if we moved to Alabama?’ ‘You would move to Alabama? ‘I’m like, I think, I think so.”

New to the restaurant business, they combined their skills and opened their first establishment:  Church Street Wine Shop in 2014.

“I think that’s where we started to see what was missing and what we could fill,” said Stephanie.

“It wasn’t that there wasn’t great places here,” said Matt Mell. “There just wasn’t a lot of them, so we didn’t want to go the same place every time.”

Over the last ten years, They’ve opened nine more businesses.

They have a unique approach to their expansion where every operation offers a different theme, type of food, or experience.

Plus, the creativity has paid off as Church Street Family Hospitality Group was just named Alabama’s retailer of the year.

“I think a passion for wine and hospitality has truly turned into a passion, for our community internally,” said Stephanie. “I think it’s starting to show externally and getting these awards that are very community driven are like ‘okay, ahhhh’  I’m getting this, you know.”

It was the first time a nominee had ever won unanimously and nominated from two different counties.

Yet, the winners say they owe it all to their team.

“We are nothing without our team and our employees,” said Matt.

The Mells shared that they have many new ideas in the works including a new speak easy-like bar opening in January.

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