Lumina Wine & Beer

The guy at the bar had cool hair. My girlfriend had the same hairstyle but luckily she changed it before we came here. Otherwise it would’ve been awkward.
The raspberry beer was amazing but after drinking my Good Juju, it was too sweet and hurt my cheeks. Two ladies next to me playing backgammon are having a good time. Overall cool place. Asheboro is a fun town

One of the very best places in Asheboro to grab a drink.

I have just moved back to Asheboro and was really hoping that there was a wine bar and Lumina Wine Bar was it! It is a wonderfully friendly place to have a glass of wine or a beer. The interior is inviting and the patio is large. If you get a chance, check it out. :)

Unexpected surprise in an eclectic but thriving downtown.
During a recent visit to Asheboro, a colleague was ‘bartending’ at Lumina so some coworkers decided to stop in. The exposed brick and décor is what you would expect to see from an upscale wine bar in any major city, there is also a nice outdoor patio with plenty of seating where you can watch the town while enjoying the sunset.
In addition to wines from all over the world, they have a great selection of micro brews. I am not a big wine drinker so I can’t say if the selection is that wonderful but it appeared to me as if they covered most of the bases. Many of the brews were NC brews so it was nice to support local companies as well.
If ever in town I’d recommend stopping in for a drink or two before heading out on foot to several of the dining establishments downtown.

Lumina Wine bar is a fun place to come drink wine with friends. It has a layout that’s good for group conversation. People there are friendly and fun. I think there is a good wine selection for casual wine drinkers. Often
there are free wine tastings and always a generous pour.

In cities all over the world, in ferreted-​out spaces along main streets, and small dark alleyways one might easily miss, people open unique businesses specific to their owners, their passions and their personalities. These are places born of dreams — entrepreneurial and economic dreams, dreams of bringing a taste of something (home, mom, that magical country once visited while on the vacation of a lifetime) to a city that’s lacking it. Lumina Wine and Beer is one such business, and Asheboro is the city benefiting from the vision of its owners Tim Moss, Jennifer Parrish and Emily Hieronymus.
Lumina Wine and Beer, located on Sunset Avenue just before the tracks (or after them depending on which direction you are heading), is a big-​city wine bar that fits nicely in its small town environment. Inside you’ll find the normal things that you’d expect in such a business like wine racks filled with a great inventory of local, domestic and foreign wines; a large beer cooler loaded with specialty and micro brewed beers; comfortable leather furniture for hanging out relaxing with friends and a handcrafted bar. It is the perfect place to meet up with friends for an evening out or unwind with a great glass of wine after a long day. There is a beautifully crafted deck out back with umbrella covered tables should you prefer to sit outside and watch people stroll along Sunset Avenue, or listen to music drifting across from Bicentennial Park during concerts on the lawn. But, perhaps, more interesting than the business Lumina Wine and Beer, is the story of how it came to be which, in turn, defines its personality.
Tim attended the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and started his career in marine construction, fixing piers and refitting docks and marinas. This was a universe away from city planning and cartography, which is the direction he saw his undergraduate degree taking him. For a guy with drive, ambition and a strong work ethic, all of which he attributes to his late grandfather, business ownership was always the plan. In the fall of 2008, because of the tumultuous economy, business dried up for the company he was working for and Tim found himself at a crossroads. Instead of pursuing employment elsewhere, Tim and his girl friend, Emily, along with his sister Jennifer, decided it was time to put their entrepreneurial ambitions to the test.
It is said that luck is when preparation meets opportunity and Lumina Wine and Beer is a perfect example of this truism. Fate put the wheels in motion for this venture in the unlikeliest of ways when the town voted to legalize the sale of alcohol in Asheboro in July of 2008. During a trip to Sonoma Valley, Tim and Jennifer had joked that if the sale of alcohol ever became legal in Asheboro, they should open a wine shop, thinking the likelihood of that ever happening wasn’t very high. With that major obstacle out of the way, and the loss of Tim’s job creating the flexibility needed to consider delving into business ownership, Emily quit her job and they moved from Wilmington back to Asheboro. They rolled the dice and put their money and reputation on the line, and it has paid off. Entrepreneurs see opportunity where others do not, like investing in a dream in the middle of a recession, in a business that until recently, has been outlawed.
To the owners of Lumina, opening a place where people could buy good wines and beers just made sense. «Our store carries wines you typically don’t find at chain stores. And we’re the only specialty shop within a 20 mile radius of Asheboro. We want to carry $ 10 bottles of wine that taste like they cost $ 25,» Tim shares.
The clientele that frequents Lumina is as eclectic as the selection of wines and beer. A wonderful cross mix of the upwardly mobile and comfortably retired socialites grace the seating on any given evening, and conversation is as varied as it is interesting. The residents of Asheboro have embraced the wine shop and are very encouraging. The first actual employee was hired for the summer of 2010, and with expanded summer hours, things are going better than expected. In fact, they have exceeded the goals outlined on the business plan that prompted the SBA to fund their venture.
Customers have come to enjoy the wine tastings which allow you to sample wines from near and far and learn more about them from the knowledgeable and personable staff and distributors, as well as the live music that Lumina offers. Local musicians Gritcakes and Small Town Gossip have played acoustic sets to an enthusiastic and appreciative audience on many occasions.
Most of us take our local entrepreneurs for granted and, at times, even chastise them for venturing out on their own. I am not one of those people because I know, first hand, what it takes to get a business off the ground. That is why you will find me at Lumina Wine and Beer from time to time, savoring an excellent glass of wine or beer.