Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexandra Zauner.
Hi alexandra, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been alcohol-free for eleven years. What I learned in that time is that the hardest part isn’t skipping the drink, it’s the room. It’s being at the part but not quite in it.
Lucille’s started in 2023 with a simple idea: build the room I wanted to be in. Places where people could gather, connect, and have a genuinely good time without alcohol at the center. The events were always the point. Retail came second, we ran pop-ups doing both, and in 2024 we opened a bottle shop and tasting room in Saint Paul.
This year, we closed the shop.
It’s still hard to say out loud. But closing it clarified something I already knew: what people came back for wasn’t the bottles. It was the experience, the NA wine and cheese class, the mixology night, the table full of strangers who left as friends.
So that’s what Lucille’s is now. NA wine and cheese pairings, mixology classes, social events, and NA experiences/service for companies and private hosts. Real experiences that show people what’s possible without alcohol.
We’re named for my grandmother Lucy, who always told me I had personality plus. And my missions is to show people you don’t need a drink to access it.
Hangover not included.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not even close to smooth.
Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. It’s been a ton of work, and honestly, it still is. There’s no version of this where I’ve arrived, every month is another round of figuring it out.
The hardest thing was closing the shop. I loved that space. I built it, I imagined years there, and deciding to close it was one of the hardest calls I’ve made. But it was the right one. The retail model wasn’t sustaining us, and holding on out of pride would have cost me the part of the business that actually works.
I’m still in the middle of it, too, we’re working through selling the remaining retail inventory and equipment from the shop. That’s not a glamorous chapter to talk about, but it’s the real one. That’s what funds the next step and lets us keep moving forward.
What keeps me here is that I believe in what we’re doing. I’ve seen what happens when people walk into a room where they’re not the odd one out. That’s worth the hard parts.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Lucille’s is an alcohol-free social experiences company based in Saint Paul. We design and host events where alcohol simply isn’t the point and where nobody has to explain why they’re not drinking.
We’re known for a few things. Our NA wine and cheese pairings, which we run with Christine from The Grater Good, are a real education in what alcohol-free beverages can do, this isn’t sparkling grape juice. Our mixology classes teach people to build genuinely good drinks at home. We bring our NA services to corporate events, holiday parties, showers, book clubs and private celebrations. And we host morning wellness gatherings and connection workshops for people who want to meet each other without a happy hour attached.
What sets us apart is that we’re not a workaround. We’re not the accommodation you make for the one person who doesn’t drink. We’re a full experience built on its own terms, with expertise behind it, I’ve spent years in this category and I know these products. When I put something in your glass, it’s because it’s good, not because it’s the best we could do without booze.
The corporate work matters to me a lot. A third of employees skip work socials when alcohol is the centerpiece, the pregnant employee, the person in recovery, the one on medication, the person who just doesn’t drink and is tired of the raised eyebrow. When we show up, 100% of your team can participate fully. That’s not a small thing.
Brand-wise, what I’m proudest of is the tone. Lucille’s has never been preachy. We’re not here to tell anyone how to live. Our tagline is “Hangover Not Included,” and that’s about the whole ethos: we removed the alcohol, but we didn’t remove the fun.
The thing I want readers to take away is that this is possible. You can throw the party, host the shower, plan the offsite, and have it be genuinely great without a single bottle of wine on the table. We’ll show you how.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Stay rooted in your why.
When things get hard and they do get hard, frustration and discouragement will hand you a hundred good reasons to quit. The only thing that’s ever pulled me back is remembering why I started.
For me, that’s a room. It’s the person who walks into one of our events and realizes, sometimes for the first time, that they don’t have to explain themselves. That they’re not the odd one out. That they get to have the full experience, not the leftover version of it.
I’ve felt that in reverse plenty of times, and I know what it costs. When I remember that, the specific person, the specific feeling, the hard parts get smaller. Not easier. Just smaller than the reason.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lucillesmn.com
- Instagram: lucillesafexperiences
