New downtown wine bar Chez Nous opening on Cary St.

chez nous 1 Cropped scaled

Chez Nous will open near the intersection of West Cary and South Foushee streets. (Mike Platania photo)

Melissa Stallard’s roots lay far from France, the country for which she said she’s always had an affection. 

“I’m not French, but I wish I was,” the Caroline County native said, laughing.

Chasing that wish, Stallard has visited l’Hexagone a half-dozen times in recent years, including two trips last year. “I’m a big Francophile,” she said. “I’ve got a lot of friends from the country.”

Now, amid a career change away from the insurance industry, Stallard is looking to bring some French flair to Monroe Ward. 

She recently signed a lease to open Chez Nous, a new wine bar and shop at 4 W. Cary St.

melissa stallard Cropped

Melissa Stallard

The front of the 1,100-square-foot space will be a retail area where Stallard said she’ll stock French-inspired items including kitchenware, perfumes and pantry goods.

The rear of Chez Nous will lead up to a wine bar, where Stallard, 50, said she’ll serve wine and some small plates, as well as a bottled wine to go. 

She said she hopes for it to be like the wine bars she’s found in Paris. 

“I’m envisioning that when you come off the street on Cary, it’s like you popped into a shop in France,” she said. “That’s what I want it to look like. It’s going to be very quaint and very cozy.”

The wine bar area will have seating for about 30 including at small marble tables with bistro chairs.

Chez Nous’ wine list will be predominantly French, and its food menu will be limited to around five rotating items including things like charcuterie, deviled eggs topped with smoked salmon and open-face sandwiches. 

“I’m trying to do nice, small bites that are a little elevated,” Stallard said.

“Chez Nous” is a French phrase that translates to “at our place.” Stallard said she hopes her shop will invoke the saying. 

“It’s very familiar and convivial. The French say ‘chez nous’ as like, ‘Come on over, come on over to our place.’ It totally encapsulates exactly what we’re going for,” Stallard said. 

Stallard said she’s working on renovating the space now with plans to open in early 2025. Pollard & Bagby’s Lebs Breeden represented her in lease negotiations. 

Stallard said in addition to leaving the insurance industry this year, her children also graduated from high school and college.

“This was a big year for me. It was a lot of change going on, and I just felt like I needed to lean into it and embrace it instead of fighting it,” she said. 

Meanwhile, at the other end of Cary Street, new local wine shop Dinner Party is preparing to open this month.

chez nous 1 Cropped scaled

Chez Nous will open near the intersection of West Cary and South Foushee streets. (Mike Platania photo)

Melissa Stallard’s roots lay far from France, the country for which she said she’s always had an affection. 

“I’m not French, but I wish I was,” the Caroline County native said, laughing.

Chasing that wish, Stallard has visited l’Hexagone a half-dozen times in recent years, including two trips last year. “I’m a big Francophile,” she said. “I’ve got a lot of friends from the country.”

Now, amid a career change away from the insurance industry, Stallard is looking to bring some French flair to Monroe Ward. 

She recently signed a lease to open Chez Nous, a new wine bar and shop at 4 W. Cary St.

melissa stallard Cropped

Melissa Stallard

The front of the 1,100-square-foot space will be a retail area where Stallard said she’ll stock French-inspired items including kitchenware, perfumes and pantry goods.

The rear of Chez Nous will lead up to a wine bar, where Stallard, 50, said she’ll serve wine and some small plates, as well as a bottled wine to go. 

She said she hopes for it to be like the wine bars she’s found in Paris. 

“I’m envisioning that when you come off the street on Cary, it’s like you popped into a shop in France,” she said. “That’s what I want it to look like. It’s going to be very quaint and very cozy.”

The wine bar area will have seating for about 30 including at small marble tables with bistro chairs.

Chez Nous’ wine list will be predominantly French, and its food menu will be limited to around five rotating items including things like charcuterie, deviled eggs topped with smoked salmon and open-face sandwiches. 

“I’m trying to do nice, small bites that are a little elevated,” Stallard said.

“Chez Nous” is a French phrase that translates to “at our place.” Stallard said she hopes her shop will invoke the saying. 

“It’s very familiar and convivial. The French say ‘chez nous’ as like, ‘Come on over, come on over to our place.’ It totally encapsulates exactly what we’re going for,” Stallard said. 

Stallard said she’s working on renovating the space now with plans to open in early 2025. Pollard & Bagby’s Lebs Breeden represented her in lease negotiations. 

Stallard said in addition to leaving the insurance industry this year, her children also graduated from high school and college.

“This was a big year for me. It was a lot of change going on, and I just felt like I needed to lean into it and embrace it instead of fighting it,” she said. 

Meanwhile, at the other end of Cary Street, new local wine shop Dinner Party is preparing to open this month.

This story is for our paid subscribers only. Please become one of the thousands of BizSense Pro readers today!

Your subscription has expired. Renew now by choosing a subscription below!

For more informaiton, head over to your profile.

Profile


SUBSCRIBE NOW

 — 

 — 

 — 

TERMS OF SERVICE:

ALL MEMBERSHIPS RENEW AUTOMATICALLY. YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR A 1 YEAR MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL AT THE RATE IN EFFECT AT THAT TIME UNLESS YOU CANCEL YOUR MEMBERSHIP BY LOGGING IN OR BY CONTACTING [email protected].

ALL CHARGES FOR MONTHLY OR ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS ARE NONREFUNDABLE.

EACH MEMBERSHIP WILL ONLY FUNCTION ON UP TO 3 MACHINES. ACCOUNTS ABUSING THAT LIMIT WILL BE DISCONTINUED.

FOR ASSISTANCE WITH YOUR MEMBERSHIP PLEASE EMAIL [email protected]




Return to Homepage

POSTED IN Restaurants

Editor's Picks

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

2 Comments
oldest
newest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Will Teeples
Will Teeples
24 days ago

At first I thought this seemed like an odd location, but when looking at the map and remembering my recent walks over there – maybe it isn’t a bad choice. There are lots of new apartments and condos being built in Monroe Ward and it’s right around the corner from The Jefferson. Hopefully retail opportunities like these will help activate the underutilized parking lots that makeup the majority of Monroe Ward. I’ll be sure to walk over from my apartment and check it out when it opens.

Yalibi Daddario
Yalibi Daddario
23 days ago

I am looking forward to discovering this new gem. Great wine and delicious hors d’œuvres !! What an excellent idea!! «  Chez nous » here I come!!