Rupert and his human, Erin, have long had a dream of opening a boutique that featured hand-picked delights for canines AND their loyal humans. Late spring of 2025 the dream started to take shape to become reality. Thanks to the fact Erin had built two successful companies in Herbster (Bark Point Ventures and Blue Mind Remodeling), she had space in their commercial building in town and enough staff to support a new retail storefront. 

Rupert wanted a shop that had all sorts of cool stuff for dogs: fun toys (focused on the themes of food, Lake Superior, and farming), tasty treats, and cozy gear. Erin wanted a shop that featured affordable, high-quality wines that couldn’t be found anywhere else in the area, and a way to support local farmers & food producers. 

After much debate, they realized they didn’t have to choose: they could have a store that features ALL these things. And thus Wags and Wine came to be!