Photo courtesy of Dallas Shaw
The Delaware wine and spirits shop is back this spring after a brief closure with a new location in downtown Wilmington and a new look designed by Dallas Shaw.
After almost a year of closure, Girard Craft and Cork will reopen its doors in downtown Wilmington this spring.
However, the doors are a bit different as the wine and spirits shop relocated to a space directly accessible from the ever-growing 9th Street downtown. Now located at 224 West 9th. St., the shop offers a variety of wine, beer and spirits in a newly designed space.
Owned by 9th Street Development Co. (9SDC), Girard was impacted by property damage and stolen property after a peaceful protest on May 30, 2020 calling for justice in the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police was overtaken by a riot.
However, 9SDC vowed to bring the shop back to the Wilmington community.
“Our entire team at 9SDC is dedicated to our community here in Wilmington, and more specifically, the 9th Street Corridor,” says Rob Herrera, 9SDC architect. “We really did not want our story to end with social unrest. We have all spent the last year thinking about what we can do better across each of our concepts. I believe strongly that we are filling a local need with Girard. We are excited to welcome our neighbors back and plug that role again within downtown Wilmington.”
Moving the shop’s location from the smaller street of Girard to 9th Street was deliberate for easy accessibility and foot traffic.
“We looked at this entire year as a way to try things again and correct and change what we would do differently,” Herrera says. “Moving the store to be directly on 9th Street as opposed to Girard Street will increase the profile of the entire block.”

Girard received a fresh design in its new space from the mind of creative director and designer Dallas Shaw.
“I really just hope this is a small creative addition to the downtown community,” Shaw says. “It’s the creative concepts that I’m focused on bringing to Wilmington. We deserve that.”
The shop will still offer a variety of beer, wine and spirits, but Shaw is making it more than a neighborhood store with a visual story and personal voice. When visitors step inside the new shop, they’ll see it’s not the typical liquor store.
“The store is full of warm abstract art with a cactus-California, laid-back feel. There are fun tasting notes and elements like Grecian gods around the store and fun macramé elements,” says Shaw.
Shaw says Girard plans to take the aesthetic a bit further through the brands it carries, focusing on strong bottle designs and unique stories so patrons can find a product that means a little more.
Patrons will be able to purchase individual products, along with participating in The Unrivaled Society of Spirits, a monthly curated wine box.
Kylie Silvestri, who does digital design and marketing for 9SDC, says the wine box has a focus on hand-selected interesting brands, grape varietals or sustainably driven vineyards. Subscriptions are self-managed, allowing customers to skip a month or adjust the membership whenever necessary.
For $99 a month, members receive five to six hand-selected wines in addition to educational materials, exclusive merch, samples and discounts. All society members can also shop for wine in store for 10-percent off.
Along with traditional wine and spirits shop purchases, patrons can opt to try canned wine and cocktails for sale.
“We are focusing on bringing in some fun favorites of ours that we haven’t been able to find in Wilmington before,” Shaw says.
Girard is another step for the 9SDC to expand the offerings on 9th Street in downtown Wilmington.
“We fully expect to add some more concepts in the near future as well to provide company to Girard Craft and Cork,” Herrera says.
Girard’s hours will be Monday through Saturday from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Girard Craft and Cork
224 West 9th. St., Wilmington