- 14 hours ago
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Today is a conversation that I've been waiting to have because it was like she went into my brain and took my deepest, darkest secrets and was like, let's make it into action.
00:10We have a best-selling author, certified mental health coach, and entrepreneur extraordinaire, Jane of all trades, Miss Tambela Todd.
00:18How you doing?
00:19Good. How are you?
00:20I'm doing great because now, like I said earlier, been very excited for this because two of my favorite things, I love a good book and I love a good glass of wine.
00:29Yes.
00:29Even a mocktail or two because I know that you have those two.
00:32So tell me what the inspiration behind Sip and Read is because it's such a unique situation.
00:37So I want you to explain what Sip and Read is for everyone.
00:40Yes. Sip and Read is a bookstore and bar.
00:43So my inspiration behind that is because I am an avid reader and I am an author and I'm always sipping something when I'm reading.
00:52As you should.
00:53But my favorite is wine.
00:56So you have to be sipping even water.
00:58So you're sipping something.
01:01And I just wanted to put my two loves together.
01:03That was very important to me.
01:04And then I wanted to put my two loves together in my home state.
01:09Would you consider this a third space?
01:11Yes.
01:11Like I know a lot of times people consider libraries third spaces.
01:14Would you consider Sip and Read a third space for you?
01:16Yeah. Sip and Read is a third space because it's not a co-working space.
01:20Right.
01:21And you're not at home.
01:22You're not in the office.
01:24But a lot of people don't like clubs.
01:27So, you know, I wanted to have where you still have a relaxing feel.
01:32You still can hear some mellow music.
01:33And you can still order yourself a drink and meet your friend or meet somebody new, have a book club or just come in and pick up a book and sip.
01:43I love that because when I first heard about Sip and Read coming, I thought that that was essentially what it was going to be where I'm not a club girl.
01:51I don't want to be out past 10 o'clock.
01:53I need to be in the house by 10.
01:54Yes.
01:55But I wanted somewhere where I felt comfortable to bring a plethora of friends because no one person just has one friend group.
02:02Right.
02:02They have a mixture.
02:03And you want to be able to bring all of your friends to one place, feel like you had a good time, and then get back home.
02:10Yes.
02:10So I'm glad that that is the vision behind it because that's kind of what I thought it was.
02:14Yes.
02:15You can come to us before your dinner reservation or you can come to us after.
02:20And that's why I close at 9 p.m.
02:23I love that.
02:25So as a lifelong Detroiter, also you mentioned that you're a public author.
02:29How does your personal story shape into the now story of Sip and Read?
02:35Yes.
02:36Reading for me was therapeutic.
02:39So after going through different things in my life, that was like my outlet.
02:43And it helped me, it helped foster the way that I wanted to see new ideas, see new things, because reading takes you on a journey.
02:51Right.
02:52You have to get visual with the reading.
02:54So with that, and then my love for, like I said, sipping something, I'm a coffee person, too.
03:02I just was like, no, I said this love here, I had to expand it.
03:07I had to actually see it through.
03:09I love that.
03:10And as a reader, you know I'm going to ask you, what's that book or book series that sparked the love?
03:16We all have one.
03:18Oh, goodness.
03:19I have a lot of different book series I love.
03:22But, like, I'll say Terry McMillan.
03:26She's a classic.
03:27I used to try to steal my mama's books from her when I was way too young to be reading Terry.
03:32Yes, Terry McMillan.
03:33Her series really sparks that for me.
03:36I love that.
03:36Okay.
03:37So as you mentioned, Sip and Read is also a bookstore.
03:40Yes.
03:40So how do you go about selecting your books?
03:42Because based off of what I've been seeing, it's very heavily curated for the atmosphere that you're going for.
03:48So what do you, what is in the forefront of your mind when you're thinking the selection of books that you want for the public?
03:55Always listen to my customers' feedback.
03:57And then by me being a reader myself.
03:59So you can always follow BookTok.
04:02Yes.
04:02You're going to get plenty of recommendations with BookTok.
04:05So I try to carry some old series along with the newer series and then also the new releases.
04:11And that way I come out with a curated list that fits everybody.
04:16Because someone could be looking for older books, classic books, and band books.
04:20I carry those too.
04:22So I have a section for wine books, band books.
04:26I have a section for new releases.
04:29And then we have, of course, our fantasy and our crime and all to touch on everybody.
04:37Right, because you never know.
04:39Someone might want to switch genres or this is their first introduction to books because I think that this is the best way to do it.
04:45Yes.
04:45Because some people may think libraries are a little too intimidating because there's just so much resources that you can get there.
04:52Where I feel like this is a good stepping stone into it.
04:54Not only are you getting that intimate community aspect, but you're also getting the books curated just for you too.
05:00Yes.
05:00And then I try my best, like you say, with a library and some books, big box bookstores.
05:05There's so many books.
05:07So what we do focus on is not stuffing the shelves with so many selections.
05:12Right.
05:13I turn them over so often.
05:15I was about to ask you how often you make changes and how people are able to communicate the feedback with you.
05:22Is there like an online portal or do they just come to you and you just have conversation?
05:27I have a bookseller that works there and she does one-on-one feedback with the customers and that's usually how we get our feedback.
05:36Speaking of that, I noticed when you were doing the hiring for jobs, I loved how specific the jobs were.
05:43Yes.
05:43Why was a bookseller and also a wine connoisseur?
05:47I believe that I'm saying the job title wrong, but why were you so intentional on making sure that there was both niches met?
05:55Booksellers know about books.
05:57You have to be able to know about books and my bookseller is on top of it.
06:03She knows the books like the back of her hand.
06:05So I needed that support system.
06:09Wine, I need you to love wine and be educated about wine in order to educate others.
06:15Right.
06:15So that was the top things.
06:17And would you say that you're a mix of both or do you just tend to lean to your booksellers and the people that you've hired for their jobs?
06:26Both.
06:26Okay.
06:27Both.
06:27I lean to both.
06:28Yes.
06:29It's a little bit of you in this too.
06:31I know that typically with entrepreneurs and business owners, you want to ingrain as much as yourself into it,
06:37but it does seem like this is your baby personified, like your heart outside of your sleeve.
06:42Yes, it is.
06:43This is my new baby, especially since all my children now are adults.
06:47It's like this is probably the best time to be able to have your own business that way.
06:52Yes, it is.
06:53I think I waited for the perfect time.
06:55And with this signature rosé, I had to bring this up because as a rosé drinker, I'm ready to come.
07:02Literally, my mom is in town.
07:03I was waiting for her to come in town so I can take her here so I can try this rosé.
07:08Please tell me about Library of Rosé, please.
07:11What is the vibes that you went to to curate your own signature rosé?
07:15Well, I wanted to stick with the Michigan brand.
07:18I only serve Michigan wines.
07:20Yes.
07:21You hear about people saying other regions, other countries, but we have a lot of wines here in Michigan,
07:27especially Pawpaw, Michigan, Travis City, Michigan.
07:30I also sit on the Michigan Wine Collaborative board member.
07:33What don't you do?
07:36So you have to do your research with wines.
07:41And I was like, no, we're only going to carry Michigan wines because we have a lot of beautiful blends here.
07:47So that's where I started at, to get the education that way.
07:51And then I was like, well, I did cater more to the ladies.
07:55What do the ladies like?
07:57And they love rosé.
07:59But it had to have a literary thing.
08:01So that's where the Library of Rosé came into play.
08:05You chose a great one.
08:06I mean, you can't go wrong with rosé.
08:09Yes.
08:10It just feels like a little bit more elegant.
08:13And it goes with love stories.
08:15Right.
08:15There's a romantic vibe to it, too.
08:17Yes.
08:18So I paired.
08:19We do a lot of book wine pairings.
08:21So I said, well, what books would pair with this?
08:23So I had to go old school.
08:25I went with the notebook.
08:27Love and Basketball, the movie.
08:29Because when you look on the back of the brand, it says, read, repeat, or press play.
08:35Yes.
08:36So if you're watching movies, you're watching Netflix, all those things, you can drink Library
08:41Rosé.
08:41And now I'm telling people you can buy it to watch Roof and Boaz on Netflix.
08:47And that's a good one I was going to mention.
08:49Yes.
08:49That's a good one for a good glass of rosé.
08:52Yes.
08:52Again, I've been mentioning this throughout the interview, but just hearing you talk about
08:56everything, you're just so intentional about every aspect.
08:59What has been the most fun part about this journey so far?
09:04Oh, the fun part.
09:05Hearing the feedback.
09:07Hearing how I motivated other people.
09:10I'm really not looking at that.
09:11When I set my mind on a project, and this is just me personally, I have tunnel vision.
09:17So I'm really not paying attention to how people are watching.
09:20I'm looking for the execute of the project.
09:24And just hearing the feedback of how people have been watching me since when I first announced
09:29it, when I first started it, I appreciate that.
09:34And I mean, sincerely, I appreciate all feedback, good and bad, because it helps me get better.
09:40So constructive criticism is a plus.
09:42And then also just people saying, you're encouraging me to write my book because I wrote my first
09:48book in 2018.
09:49Yeah.
09:49So me encouraging someone else to put pen to paper, that's amazing to me.
09:55I love that.
09:56I mean, just from the TikTok community alone, because that's where I first heard about
10:00Sip and Read.
10:01They go real hard for you, girl.
10:03Yes, they do.
10:04They were ready for this to be open.
10:06Yes.
10:07So I can only imagine how much love and feedback you've been getting so far.
10:11And not only just the what you've created, but the representation of it.
10:18I mean, from everything that you do that we mentioned earlier, you are holding space in
10:24so many avenues.
10:25So how are you able to handle all of that on your plate, girl?
10:29That's why I have to have a team.
10:31True.
10:32You can't grow without a team.
10:34You can't scale without a team.
10:36And I think that's where a lot of people get confused of wanting to do everything yourself.
10:40You have to delegate and you got to fall back.
10:42Right.
10:43Because Tam have to get her sleep.
10:46That's what I was about to ask.
10:47I'm like, girl, when do you?
10:48I sleep.
10:49Trust me.
10:49I sleep because I delegate everything to my team.
10:52That's good, though.
10:53And clearly it's showing in the excitement and just the overall aesthetic and everything
11:00that has gone forward with the project and with this business.
11:03Because not only is it just a good business as a whole, when you walk into that space,
11:09it's beautiful from what I'm seeing.
11:12Again, I'm excited to just experience it live in effect now.
11:15But why were you so intentional of making sure the space also felt cozy?
11:22Because I wanted to be your living room away from home.
11:25So when I grew up, it was like, don't go in the living room.
11:28What is the living room you can sit in?
11:30Our parents was like, don't go in the living room.
11:33Don't do this.
11:34There's plastic on the furniture.
11:35So Sip and Read is the living room that you can sit in.
11:38I was intentional about the location, too, because it's court town.
11:44You pop in your cork.
11:46So I looked at a lot of locations.
11:49I was like, this is not it.
11:50This is not it.
11:50But when I reached Corktown, that was it.
11:53That was home for me.
11:54See, no, I didn't want to be corny and cheesy.
11:56Because I thought that it was just, OK, maybe she did that on purpose.
11:59Maybe she didn't.
12:00But I love that.
12:01And I'm guessing it wasn't just like you went about, OK, Corktown.
12:06It just fell into your lap.
12:08It fell into my lap because I was introduced to the owner.
12:12So it all fell into my lap.
12:14Well, how serendipitous, because where else could you be but Corktown?
12:18That's right.
12:19Yes.
12:20And with it being obviously so heavily influenced with Detroit in mind and Michigan in mind,
12:27how do you want the ideal outside visitor to experience?
12:32Like, what do you want them to leave with when they come in?
12:35Because obviously this will be there, hopefully their first time, under an idea of what Michigan
12:41has to offer.
12:42So what would the outside visitor want to, or how would you want them to see and leave
12:49with?
12:49I want the outside, out-of-towner visitor to feel like I went to this cozy spot in Detroit
12:56and go back and tell everybody about it.
12:59That's right.
13:00That they were able to relax.
13:02Because I'm big on relaxing.
13:04Like I mentioned, my sleep.
13:05Right.
13:05And I think we all have such busy lives now, we don't know how to pull back.
13:10So that was my motive also.
13:12So that's the mental health aspect of it that I'm like, no, you got to pull back.
13:17You got to relax.
13:18So literally every aspect of who you are is in this.
13:21Yes.
13:21Because you just mentioned how you being a mental health advocate also is a part of
13:26this too.
13:26Yes.
13:27I love that.
13:28It just feels like everything's just so full circle in this one project that you have.
13:32Obviously there's other things, but you're able to just curate everything into one space
13:36for you.
13:37Yeah.
13:37I love it.
13:38Okay.
13:38So off camera, we were talking about book club.
13:41Yes.
13:41Are there any opportunities that you would love to see come to fruition, whether that's
13:46with local schools or different entities outside of Michigan?
13:50Like what are you thinking curation wise?
13:53Curation wise, well, we will be launching our book club this month.
13:56Um, uh, cheers and chapters is that's what it's going to be called.
14:01You're so good at these names.
14:04So, um, and then we're also going to be doing wine education.
14:08We'll be launching that this month too.
14:10Meaning that I can learn about wine.
14:12You can learn about wine and we're going to do it very intimate.
14:15It won't be a full class.
14:16We're going to do eight people.
14:18So we're, it ended up being an eight week course and you will get a certification for
14:22it.
14:22Hold on now.
14:23See, this feels like this was also meant for me too.
14:26Because I just happened to be in South of France this past week and I was in a winery
14:32and I was like, y'all, I really just want to learn.
14:34Yes.
14:34Like every time that they were telling me how much sugar it takes to make alcohol and like
14:40the different variations of how long you have to keep things into the barrels compared to
14:46other wines.
14:46Like that interested me.
14:47So essentially that class would be that, or is it a little bit different?
14:52No, it will be that.
14:53Yes.
14:53And you will receive a book.
14:56You will have homework.
14:59Because it's important to teach our community about wine.
15:03Yeah.
15:03Instead of just coming in, drinking a glass.
15:06You know, I want you to be able to pair your wines when you go out to eat.
15:10So I want to educate as much as possible.
15:13I just got back from Napa myself.
15:15So I went there to get more information about this wine education class that we're putting
15:21together.
15:22So it's just important.
15:23That part is what I want to do for the community.
15:26That's incredible.
15:26Even how you hold your glass.
15:28You can't hold your glass because you're heating your wine up.
15:32I didn't even, I knew that you shouldn't do that, but I didn't know the science behind
15:36it.
15:36Yes.
15:36Oh, you're educated, Miss Neum.
15:38I like that.
15:40Especially with the fact that there are so few black sommeliers.
15:43Yes.
15:44So the fact that you are educating just the average Joe about wine is incredible, Tamela.
15:50Yes.
15:51Okay.
15:52I got one more question for you.
15:53And I feel like you've kind of touched on what your idea of success is, but what does
15:58success look like for you, not financially, but more so what you want Detroit to think
16:05about you, what you want the greater world to think about you, what you want the wine
16:09industry to think of you.
16:09What does that level of success look like for you?
16:13I will just say with success in general, I really just want people to focus on the fact
16:20that whatever you put your mind to, you can do it.
16:23You just have to focus.
16:26Right.
16:28You know, block out the noise because you're going to get the distractions.
16:33And a lot of the distractions come from personal people in your circle.
16:38But you have to pull back from that in order to execute the idea that you want.
16:42So that's what success looks like to me.
16:45And that's what I always recommend for everybody else.
16:49I love that.
16:49And I bet you all those people who may have not said the best are looking at you a lot
16:54different now, girl.
16:55Yes.
16:55Well, for sure.
16:56Now, we didn't mention the address just for people who are in Metro Detroit and everybody
17:01else who will see this who's going to take a trip from outside the state.
17:05Let them know where they can find you, address, social media, because we need to make sure
17:09that we're tapped into those book clubs and the wine education class.
17:13I'm going to be there.
17:13We are at 1620 Michigan Avenue, Suite 122.
17:19We're right off of Michigan and Trumbull.
17:22And our website is sipandread.net.
17:25And our social is Instagram is sipn, the letter N, read, book bar.
17:34I love it.
17:34Thank you so much for your time.
17:36Yes.
17:37And if you don't have a glass in your hand, head over to Sip and Read right now.
17:40Please.
17:40We welcome you.
17:44Bye-bye.
17:44Bye-bye.
17:45Bye-bye.
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