Market Wines
Michael Maxwell, Founding Owner of Market Wines
When Michael Maxwell opened Market Wines over 17 years ago, the Findlay Market District looked, and felt, much different. There was no streetcar. No Rhinegiest. And definitely no wine shops to be found.
At the time, Michael was working in wine and beer sales. “I've been in the business for about as long as I've been coming to the Market. So I started coming to the market about 33 years ago, and shortly after that, I started working in the wine business.” Those days, he and his coworkers would dream together about their future wine shops. What industry standards would they uphold? Which would they leave behind? What location would be ideal?
“I thought, ‘the Market has all this great food, and there's not a wine shop, which would be the last thing that we need to go with all those great food options.’ I always knew how food and wine go hand in hand, but I never really considered the Market itself and the fact that it was devoid of wine at the time.”
Michael hadn’t been happy in his career for a while, and Bryan Madison, founder of Madison’s, mentioned that his landlord had purchased a storefront a few buildings down from theirs, and was looking for tenants. In 2008, Michael signed a lease at 128 W. Elder St. and began taking steps towards realizing his dream wine shop. “I knew how loyal people were to the Market, and if we did a good job, those Market people would become Market customers. When you turn a shopper into a customer, that's customer service,” he says.
Market Wines has seen the neighborhood change in a big way over nearly two decades in business, yet they hold true to a few core tenets that have remained the same since opening their doors in 2008. Firstly, they stick to what they know. They sell wine and beer, and that’s it. “We've had a lot of people ask us, ‘you should add cigars!’ I don't do cigars,” Michael says. “I know wine, and I know beer. I drink wine, and I drink beer. You specialize in what you do well.”
They also prioritize carrying beers from small craft breweries and wines produced in smaller batches from boutique wineries that are reasonably priced between $13 and $25. “We could bring in high volume, large format wines, bigger bottles and cheaper wines and move a lot of that, but it's not what we do,” Michael says.
And lastly, a no-brainer. Michael deeply trusts and respects his staff. “We’ve been able to have some really great employees over the years, some fantastic people. I think one of the things that has kept them around is because I allow them to be autonomous when it comes to what they do,” he says.
To Michael, the balance between being a boss and allowing his staff autonomy isn’t hard to find. He loops his team in on upcoming changes and asks their opinion before moving forward, and he’ll gladly bring in a wine upon their recommendation. “When you give them that trust and let them know that you're there for them, they will, in turn, reward you with loyalty,” he says.
Michael remarks that when he goes on vacation, leaving the shop to his staff is easy, and he rarely gets a call on his time off, a rarity among business owners. “I know there are other people who own small businesses that do not feel that way. They feel like if they're not there, the place can't be open. And that's just not something that I wanted,” he says.
Market Wines stays open long past Market close to allow their guests to settle into happy hour with friends after they’ve wrapped up their shopping. Being at the store during all of its open hours would amount to 65-70 hours each week, a toll too great for any employee. But with a trusted staff, Market Wines has been a staple neighborhood wine shop and bar for coming up on two decades.
“I plan on being here for another 17 years, but at some point I will have to step away,” Michael says. “I want Market Wines to always be here, so I’m hoping that in the future, there will be a situation where someone who loves the Market like I do steps in. For now I just want to continue to do what we’re doing, have people try new wines, get out of their comfort zone, have fun and enjoy themselves.”
Published: July 2025