Member Highlight: Meet Jess Outer of Unwined and Revel
July 22, 2026
WEBA: Hi Jess, thanks for taking the time to speak with us today.
JESS OUTER: Absolutely, thanks for inviting me.
WEBA: First off, tell us about your business: what is your primary product or service, what makes it unique, and where does
your passion for this work come from?
JESS OUTER:I own Unwined, Revel, and Our Food Truck — three sister businesses tucked together in the Belle View Shopping
Center. Unwined is our wine and gourmet shop, where we focus on natural, biodynamic wines from farmers first, growers
second, sourced from all over the world. Alongside that, we carry craft beer, gourmet goods from local artisans, cheeses, cigars,
and meats from farms in the area. Unwined is open seven days a week.
Next door is Revel, a 42-seat restaurant serving American cuisine with a little Louisiana spice, built around close relationships
with local farmers whose meats and produce show up on our menu. We’re open six nights a week for dinner, closed Sundays.
Our newest venture is the food truck, a collaboration with Harrie Cows Pastry, bringing treats that spark joy to the community,
launching this September.
What ties it all together for me is community. I want to bring people together under one roof with good food, wine, beer, and
even better conversation.
WEBA: Sounds like you’ve cultivated such a fun atmosphere! What has been the biggest challenge you have faced in the
business world?
JESS OUTER: Recently it’s been hiring – finding people with the right skill set, but also the right level of hospitality. We’re
hospitality first. Our guests always come first, and that’s something people know when they walk into Revel or Unwined, it’s
just what we’re about. Finding the right fit for our team has been a real challenge lately.
The other ongoing challenge has been tariffs – on wine, international cheeses, chocolates, coffee — something we’ve been
dealing with since this administration took office. We’re always trying to keep our costs as moderate as possible so we’re not
passing those increases along to our customers.
WEBA: Finding the right people is very important and dealing with the tariffs seems so unpredictable. To help handle these
challenges, who or what has been the strongest source of support for keeping a successful business running, and what is your
best networking advice?
JESS OUTER: It definitely takes a village. I left corporate America in 2021 and bought this business in early 2025, so my core
team – my business advisor, accountants, financial advisor, and lawyer – has been my single source of truth through this whole
process, and they really keep me grounded. I also have an amazing staff, and this community in Belle View keeps me going.
They show up with smiles and hugs – we’re a very inclusive, loving space, and they make it that way just as much as we do. Oh,
and my cats!
My networking advice: don’t be afraid. Everyone gets nervous the first time they talk to someone new, or walk into a room
where they don’t know a soul. We’ve all had that first, second, third time. Don’t be afraid, be your authentic self, and bring that
to the table, always.
WEBA: We love to hear that the community is a pillar for you and that is great advice for any up-and-coming entrepreneurs.
What is one major business goal you are focused on achieving in the next 12 months?
JESS OUTER: Getting the food truck up and running and out into the community – 100%. We’re doing it all from scratch: the
permitting process, the logo, everything. It’s called Our Food Truck, and it really is a community truck — it’s ours, the universal
ours.
I also want to expand our event business. We do a lot of after-hours events and buyouts at Revel, and we’re slowly building out
a basement and outdoor area to create another event space.
Another goal is fulfilling more community needs – if the community needs something, we want to be there. That means
partnering more with charities and figuring out how we can help everyone feel included, loved, and that they have a space
that’s theirs.
WEBA: That is an equally beautiful and ambitious answer. You’ve touched on this a bit already but what would you say is the
most rewarding part of running your business here in Alexandria?
JESS OUTER: Being able to be here for the community and host charities. We’re very active with the charity Alive!, along with
many other charities. Animals are very important to us too; we have a store dog (Bella) who hangs out with us almost every
day. We also love all of our customer’s dogs that visit the shop!
We want to really embed ourselves in the community and just be that place for everyone. No matter who you are, you can always
come here and feel safe, included, and loved – whether you’re having a bad day or a great day, celebrating or not, everyone
should feel welcome here.
WEBA: We need more and more of that every day. How has being a member of WEBA benefited your business or connected
you with the community?
JESS OUTER: WEBA’s been great! I was introduced to WEBA by Vicky who did my headshots, and things grew from there.
What I love about WEBA is it’s so fun! We should always be having fun! I never felt like an outsider, I felt like I belonged even
in the very first event I went to, and that is not always the case in these kinds of settings.
WEBA: We are so happy to hear that! Thank you very much for giving us this time today. One last question, just for fun:
What celebrity would you most like to patronize your business and what’s one business or community amenity that you’d
love to see added to the West End?
JESS OUTER: Michelle and Barack Obama! I would be over the moon if they walked in the door. And I would love to see a cat
cafe here; maybe that will be my next business!
We hope you enjoyed getting to know Jess Outer and learning about her businesses: Unwined and Revel, with Our Food Truck
coming soon. You can also check them out on Instagram at @unwinedava & @Revelava. Stop by her shops in Belle View
Shopping Center and make sure to say HELLO when you next see her at a WEBA event!