The virtual village behind Gracie’s Wine Room

Three months ago, Kelsie Gaffey opened the doors to her South Yarra wine bar, Gracie’s Wine Room. At just 25, Kelsie pivoted her career to pursue her dream of running her own bar, documenting the process from start to finish on TikTok. Now with an online and offline support network behind her, Kelsie reflects on the power of community.

Originally from Adelaide, Kelsie studied marketing at the University of South Australia and after years spent climbing the corporate ladder, in 2024 she pursued a sea change, identifying a gap in the market in the flourishing landscape of Melbourne’s wine bars.

“I had all these ideas of wanting to start a business. My girlfriends and I loved going to wine bars, but I felt like there was a bit of a gap in what we were really looking for, that more casual element that the northside does so well but there wasn’t much of on the southside of Melbourne.”

Committed to turning her vision into reality, Kelsie turned herself into a tradie, poured her savings into the business, rallied investors and got help from friends along the way – but it was TikTok where she really felt the power of community.  

Building Gracie’s one post at a time

The day Kelsie left corporate life behind she made a commitment to herself to start posting TikTok videos consistently. Turning to social media, Kelsie found support and shared knowledge on Tik Tok, but she never anticipated that Gracie’s could blow up before it even opened.

“Making videos was honestly just for me on this journey. I had made silly little videos for the last few years. There was nothing serious about it, they didn’t perform well.

“I made my first video [the day I left my corporate job] basically announcing to work, old clients and family that I was doing this. From then on, I posted more consistently documenting every step and used it as a bit of a search engine and advice tool.”

Now with almost 25,000 followers on her Instagram accounts and TikTok combined, and more than a million views on TikTok, Kelsie says her accounts have helped her both professionally and personally.

Kelsie noted that hers is not the only hospitality business using social media to grow but said rather than creating a ‘highlight reel’, she felt that the best way to connect with her audience was to document the good and the bad that went into building Gracie’s.

“You’re not going to necessarily sell the most products or book out your service if you’re just showing a highlight reel to consumers. Sure, it works for a lot of businesses, but in my opinion, people don’t just want to connect with a brand – people connect with people at the end of the day,” she said.

“It’s been the perfect tool to really engage with people who helped me grow Gracie’s in many ways. They’ve helped me make decisions like picking what tiles I wanted to put behind the bar, or the glasses they were going to be drinking out of.”

Community at the core

Her online and offline community is something that Kelsie says is at the heart of Gracie’s and has helped it become the venue it is today.

“The entire ethos is the community. I don’t see this as my bar necessarily, I see this as everyone’s. We wanted to create a casual, community-led venue where people could come, drink good wine, feel relaxed, genuinely laugh and enjoy time with their mates.”  

Kelsie told Bars and Clubs that seeing the community come together has been a highlight in her hospitality journey.

“You kind of expect to see crowds and new faces here and there, but I think what has been so refreshing and really reinforcing to me is seeing so many repeat customers alongside those who come and visit from all over. It has made my heart so full, because that’s exactly what we wanted to create.”

As a result, Kelsie says one of the best parts of her new job is working behind the bar.

“It’s when I get to really connect with people inside Gracie’s. While I really enjoy the strategic side of things, the part that I enjoy the most is pouring wines for people and getting to chat.”

Learning as you go

Kelsie expresses deep gratitude for the continued support she’s received, saying Gracie’s Wine Room wouldn’t be where it is today without it.

“I don’t think anything can prepare you for owning a business until you’re in it, you figure everything out along the way. But what helped me was I spoke to a lot of industry experts, and other business owners in general. I spoke to everyone that I could, or anyone that would listen and give advice.”

In the future, Kelsie is excited to incorporate her different passions into Gracie’s, which includes supporting other small businesses.

“My background in brand events and PR is something I’ve tried to incorporate so we’ll be ramping up the event side of things soon.”   

But most importantly, Kelsie said she is excited for her and the team at Gracie’s to keep learning together. “We’re definitely still our growing and learning phase. Hopefully in six months, we’ve nailed the basics. But I’m giving it a go, and I very much own that. I’m an evolving person, and Gracie’s is an evolving business, and we strive to be better and better each day.”