Durham Distillery is seeking an experienced, outgoing Retail Experience Lead & Brand Ambassador to help lead our guest-facing retail, tasting, and tour experience.
This role is ideal for someone with a strong background in retail sales, hospitality, specialty retail, tasting room service, museum or gift shop retail, visual merchandising, or experiential guest engagement. We are looking for someone who knows how to welcome guests, tell a story, recommend products, create inviting displays, and turn a casual visit into a memorable brand experience.
This is not a passive retail counter role. The right candidate will actively engage guests, drive sales, support tours and tastings, help maintain a polished retail environment, and contribute ideas for merchandising, product presentation, seasonal displays, gift sets, and guest experience improvements.
Minimum required availability includes weekends, specifically Friday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoons and evenings. Typical shifts are eight hours with weekly expectations of 16-24 hours. Candidates must be consistently available during these times.
What You’ll DoRetail Sales & Guest Engagement
- Welcome guests with warmth, confidence, and professionalism.
- Actively engage visitors in the tasting room and retail shop.
- Recommend spirits, merchandise, cocktail accessories, gift sets, and experiences based on guest interests.
- Drive retail sales through product knowledge, storytelling, consultative selling, upselling, and cross-selling.
- Process transactions through Toast POS and support guest pickup orders.
- Help guests understand our spirits, cocktails, production methods, ingredients, awards, and brand story.
- Create memorable interactions that encourage repeat visits, purchases, and brand loyalty.
- Maintain a polished, professional presence that reflects Durham Distillery’s brand standards.
Tours, Tastings & Brand Storytelling
- Conduct guided tastings and product demonstrations.
- Support private tours, tastings, and special guest experiences.
- Learn and share Durham Distillery’s production process, product portfolio, and brand story in an engaging and approachable way.
- Represent the brand at ABC tastings, festivals, community events, promotional activations, and partner events as needed.
- Help guests feel educated without feeling lectured — polished, informed, and welcoming.
Merchandising & Retail Presentation
- Support the organization, design, and ongoing improvement of retail shelves and product displays.
- Help create an inviting, shoppable retail environment that encourages discovery and purchase.
- Maintain product facing, shelf cleanliness, signage, pricing presentation, and visual standards.
- Assist with merchandising strategy for spirits, merchandise, cocktail accessories, seasonal promotions, gift sets, and featured products.
- Provide input on product placement, display flow, guest shopping behavior, and opportunities to improve conversion.
- Support seasonal retail activations, gift guides, tasting room promotions, and limited-time offers.
- Contribute ideas for product bundling, average order value growth, and immersive retail experiences.
Hospitality & Operations Support
- Support opening and closing procedures for guest-facing spaces.
- Help ensure the tasting room, retail shop, and guest areas are clean, organized, stocked, and ready.
- Assist with private events, tours, and seasonal activations.
- Support Conniption Bar & Lounge or broader hospitality needs as needed.
- Assist with online order fulfillment and guest pickup experiences.
- Provide light production, bottling, or facility support as needed.
What We’re Looking For
- An experienced retail or hospitality professional who enjoys selling through storytelling.
- Someone comfortable leading guest interactions, not waiting for guests to ask questions.
- A strong communicator who can educate, recommend, and build trust quickly.
- Someone with an eye for merchandising, display, product placement, and retail flow.
- A polished, reliable team member who takes pride in presentation and details.
- A person who enjoys creating memorable experiences and helping guests discover products they will love.
- Someone who can work independently while staying connected to team priorities.
Required Qualifications
- Minimum 2 years of experience in retail sales, specialty retail, hospitality, tasting room service, customer service, events, merchandising, visual display, consumer-facing sales, or a related guest-facing role.
- Proven ability to engage guests, recommend products, and support sales goals.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Comfort initiating conversations and educating consumers.
- Ability to maintain a polished, organized, and shoppable retail environment.
- Strong attention to detail and commitment to brand standards.
- Ability to work independently and contribute to a team-oriented environment.
- Ability to stand and walk for extended periods.
- Ability to lift up to 50 pounds.
- Must be 21 years of age or older with valid identification.
- Consistent availability on Friday and Saturday afternoons and early evenings.
- Ability to successfully complete required age verification and background screening for work in a licensed distillery environment.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience as a retail lead, tasting room lead, boutique retail associate, museum shop associate, gift shop associate, specialty food/beverage associate, or hospitality lead.
- Experience with retail merchandising, shelf design, product displays, pricing presentation, gift sets, or seasonal retail activations.
- Experience leading tours, tastings, classes, demonstrations, or educational guest experiences.
- Experience in spirits, wine, beer, specialty food, coffee, hospitality, or other premium consumer products.
- Experience with Toast POS or similar retail/hospitality POS systems.
- ServSafe certification, or willingness to obtain certification after hire.
- Interest in spirits education, cocktail culture, local food and beverage, Durham hospitality, and independent brands.
Growth Opportunities & Benefits
Durham Distillery offers:
- Competitive hourly compensation with potential commission opportunities.
- Hands-on experience in retail sales, visual merchandising, hospitality, and brand marketing.
- Training in spirits education, product knowledge, and consumer engagement.
- Opportunities to represent an award-winning North Carolina spirits brand.
- A collaborative and energetic work environment.
- Direct interaction with guests, consumers, and industry professionals.
- Opportunities to help shape the retail and tasting room experience for an independent Durham distillery.
To Apply
Please submit:
- A current resume
- A brief and friendly letter of introduction
No phone calls, please.
Durham Distillery is committed to equal employment opportunity and welcomes applicants of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences. Women, People of Color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and members of historically underrepresented communities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Job Type: Part-time
Benefits:
Shift:
Application Question(s):
- Are you consistently available to work Friday and Saturday afternoons and early evenings?
- Do you have at least two years of experience in hospitality, retail sales, customer service, events, merchandising, or another customer-facing role?
Ability to Commute:
- Durham, NC 27701 (Required)
Work Location: In person
