Non-Alcoholic Bottle Shop Dreams: The Sobr Market Making Its Mark on Winnipeg And Beyond

Jessie & Shane Halliburton are the surprise rising stars in the non-alcoholic drinks space, with their online and in-person shop The Sobr Market bringing viral U.S. brands to Canada

This article was revised by a staff writer on November 23, 2023.

Since opening their bricks and mortar doors in early February, Shane and Jessie Halliburton have met loads of new people in their non-alcoholic store in Winnipeg’s Exchange district.

While it may not be the very first store of its kind in Canada, it’s definitely a first for Manitoba and puts the young couple in the spotlight to introduce a life without hangovers to all and sundry.

The Halliburtons have been running their online shop thesobrmarket.com for less than a year, but saw the need for expanding into a physical space pretty quickly.

“We did a lot of pop-up markets and events and people kept asking us about a physical location,” they explained.

“They’ve met kids just old enough to drink, who’d rather learn about non-alcoholic options, people who frankly confess to having endured too many blackouts and elderly folks who want to clean up their diets.”

For those new to non-drinking, there’s a real comfort in going into Sobr Market to ask questions, tell stories, and feel like part of a community with shared interests and goals. They’ve met kids just old enough to drink, who’d rather learn about non-alcoholic options, people who frankly confess to having endured too many blackouts and elderly folks who want to clean up their diets. Jessie notes that she has breast cancer in her family and was shocked when she learned how strong the correlation is between alcohol consumption and breast cancer.

Both Shane and Jessie gave up alcohol not too long ago, prompted largely by the demands of their 21-month-old daughter, June and 4-year-old son, Otis. As Shane says, “life is too busy to be hungover”.

And too busy is a mild way of describing their life: there’s the kids, each other, the online store, warehouse and online order fulfillment, plus they do their own social media, marketing and promotional events. Not to mention a new, larger space they plan to open in the near future. Watch this space!

Right now, if you want to visit, chat about your thinking behind quitting drinking, get some advice about product flavour profiles or sample a mocktail or NA concoction, you’ll be greeted in a wonderful heritage space Sobr Market shares with Good Local, a small business which showcases art and artisans and all things Manitoba. Pride of place extends to the NA offerings as well: Dead Horse Cider’s craft cider sodas, Little Brown Jug and Good Neighbour Brewing, to name a few home growns.

Because the floor and wall space is limited, Sobr Market can only squeeze in about 20 – 25% of its 500+ SKUs, but they can tell you all about the rest, and bring it in for you if you’re lucky enough to visit.

Manitoba is also home to the unique fundraising product that is the “social”. At this time of year, many young couples are organizing their own socials (a dance with food, drink and paid admission) specifically to pay for their weddings. As such, Shane and Jessie go to the bridal shows and not only give young couples ideas for NA options, but also to offer their services to venues who want someone knowledgeable to curate the drinks.

Bricks and mortar is a tough gig these days, with sky-high retail rents, staffing challenges, and weather that cuts into the walk-by traffic but having a place to go, with people to guide your choices, and answer your questions, is a precious commodity. We need a Sobr Market in every Canadian city.

About the Author

Joanna is a writer, trainer, coach and consultant with decades of experience as a journalist in radio and television. She teaches public speaking, communication skills and media relations. You can find Joanna at www.joannapiros.com.