Jim & Mary Jones
The Wine Loft
Retail sale of wine and some wine accessories.
Years Downtown:
28 years, with four of the years being in business on the eastside. Opened Fleur de Lys Restaurant on Legion Way and Pear St in 1982. Opened The Wine Loft in 1992 on the eastside of Olympia and moved downtown in 1996.
Little Known Fact:
Jim and Mary were both born in Olympia at the old St. Pete’s Hospital on the westside. Dr. Ralph Brown delivered both of us.
Our Story:
We both graduated from Olympia High School. After graduation Mary went to Bellingham and graduated from Western Washington University with a business degree in Economics and Mathematics. She went to work as an engineer for PNB Telephone Company. Jim went to San Francisco after high school and attended City College where he earned a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management. He apprenticed with several French chefs while in school. After graduation he went to Hawaii to open a new restaurant with one of the chefs. He later returned to Olympia. Jim and Mary met in 1979 and were married in 1980. They opened their French restaurant in 1982 and operated it until 1992. They sold the property and opened The Wine Loft on Pacific Ave in 1992 moving to downtown Olympia in 1996.
What We Love About Olympia:
The wonderful people of Olympia. We always tell people we have the best customers. There are so many people in the area who love supporting local businesses and go out of their way to do it.
