Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, on assignment for the Winooski News
Lily Sickles says one of the perks of owning her own business is that she has a place to play music as loud as she wants.
“We could fire up the karaoke machine right now if we wanted to,” Sickles said on a recent afternoon.
Sickles is a lifelong punk rocker, having sang and played guitar with many bands, but she has another lifelong passion — wine. She opened Standing Stone Wines, a retailer, bar and venue on Winooski’s roundabout, in November 2023.
The last time the Winooski News came by, just before it opened business, Standing Stone was mostly empty save for a single red couch. The couch is still there, but the store now boasts eclectic decor. Sickles pointed out the “kitsch corner,” which has among other things several framed pictures of the framed drag queen Divine.
Originally from Potsdam, New York, Sickles has lived in Vermont for 15 years. She was working at Doggie Styles Salon in Colchester and had just won a battle with lymphoma when she decided to start her own business.
“I love wine because it’s really just farmers,” Sickles said. “The kind of wines that I like to sell are by small families and small producers — people who grow their grapes, pick their grapes, make their wine, sell their wine. Every bottle is like an independent piece of art.”
Sickles said the punk rock ethos guides how she runs her business, particularly when it comes to pricing. Standing Stone specializes in more-affordable wines from smaller vendors.
“The one goal I’ve had since the beginning was to open up wine to everyone,” she said. “It shouldn’t just be for rich people. There should be a bottle for everyone.”
Initially, Sickles intended for Standing Stone to exclusively act as a retailer. But she quickly realized that retail alone would not be enough to keep the store afloat, and by this February, she had turned her 33 Main St. spot into a bar and event space. It’s more work than she anticipated, she said, but worth it.
“I can’t complain when I’m surrounded by amazing artists, musicians and great people from the community, or when I have to drink too much delicious wine sometimes,” she said.
In addition to live music, Standing Stone frequently hosts local arts and food pop-ups. Sickles said she never charges the vendors for the space.
“I had so much help opening this business, and I like to help other entrepreneurs, too,” she said.
Standing Stone’s first year has not been without challenges. When she first opened, Sickles, a member of the Oneida Nation, was planning on donating 1% of her total sales to a different Indigenous charity each month. She tries to keep her tribe in mind in her business — “Onedia,” after all, derives from a Native American phrase meaning “People of the Standing Stone.”
“That lasted about three months,” Sickles said. “Then we didn’t have any money.”
Transitioning from being a retailer to a bar and event space, Sickles said, doubled her startup costs.
She hopes to someday organize a powwow in Rotary Park — and to welcome the city’s Nepali and African communities.
For all the challenges, Sickles said she has found Winooski, and the other businesses on the rotary in particular, to be a supportive community.
“I’m really appreciative of how passionate the Winooski government, and the people of Winooski, are about helping out their local stores,” said Sickles.
For now, Sickles has no employees, doing everything from vacuuming to stocking shelves to bartending herself. It’s hard work, she said, and it’s good work.
“I am a very lucky person,” she said. “I work a lot, but I have my dream job, and I have my dream store. I will work as hard as I can to keep that. I don’t have kids. This store is my kid.”
“And I can play music here anytime I want to,” she added.