Alexa Carrington’s dream has always been to be her own boss. Owning her own bar one day was a goal of hers but that costs a lot of money. Carrington’s husband, Rob asked her one day if she ever heard of these “mobile bars” which she had. That was the turning point and she knew she had to start this, two years later, here they are with a thriving business and they’re already expanding with more trailers.
Parked Prosecco is a vintage mobile wine bar, with a picture-perfect design and food truck-esque movability, it’s also a dream for local parties, weddings, and festivals. Because who doesn’t want a glass of prosecco from what just may be the most photogenic trailer we’ve ever seen?
Who or what got you into bartending when you were younger? What is your favorite part about your job?
I moved back to NY at 19 -there was a popular bar/restaurant my aunt worked at and they needed an extra bartender so I kinda got thrown into it. I have SO many favorite parts about this job!! From seeing clients face light up when we pull up with Tilly, (the name of the trailer), showing people our before and after pictures, but mostly how we made their wedding day extra special.
In your own words, what do you do?
Parked Prosecco is a mobile wine bar, we cater to Weddings, Bridal Showers and Private events! What do I not do?! I’m a first-time mom to a 5-month-old so I’m trying to learn work & life balance. Haha, but owning your own business is awesome but that means you are solely responsible for everything and everything falls back on you! Checking emails, Responding to inquiries, making contracts is just half of it. Our entire garage is where we keep all of our inventory. Events take weeks to prepare for!
Since launches, what has worked to attract new customers?
For anyone starting out, keep up with your social media platforms. Clients notice this. Social media is a job in itself, Instagram is a great tool to attract new customers and it’s free! I love that there is an ask questions option in the Instagram stories and I use that often to learn what everyone wants to see more content of.
What do you advise people who are looking for someone to help them start a business?
Do it. Yes, it’s scary and you’re going to hear so many opinions to NOT do it. You have to surround yourself with people who are going to support you and uplift you. Don’t surround yourself with negativity.
At what point did you know you it was the right time to work for yourself?
I was working in Luxury retail for about 6 years and while the money was there, I wasn’t happy. I tried going to school for Dental Hygiene and soon realized that was not for me… Bartending was always a side job, I knew I was good at it and talking to people is a great skill I have. A friend of mine told me I needed to pursue bartending as a career but somehow make it my own. 3 years and a whole lot of knowledge later my dream bar is complete. During this time, I met my now-husband Rob and we welcomed our baby girl Meadow, last August. Everything happened at the right time.
What is a skill you think all women should learn and why?
Basic carpentry is a must! I learned SO much from my stepfather and husband that now I can take these skills with me forever. I wanted to be apart of the build as much as I could, from the beginning I learned that patience is everything and great things don’t happen overnight. Our trailer took a year to build, during that time I learned how to install a subway tile backsplash, how to paint (the proper way, you can’t paint in winter is what I know now haha) Getting down and dirty (literally) replacing the floors & sanding the entire trailer.
Where do you get your inspiration from daily?
Pinterest for the win!! I love decorating so I’m constantly saving new ideas. Most mobile bars have the same concept but put their own spin on it and I love seeing how creative fellow bar owners are. Coming up with the design for Tilly was SO hard. In the mobile bar world, there are so many different kinds of trailers used..When Rob and I decided to make it with a camper the rest of the design came pretty easy us.
What sacrifices have you had to make during life?
Giving up our weekends/vacations/family time to pursue this career is definitely number one. My husband has a full-time job in construction that he commutes to NYC every day and then comes home to help me with whatever it is we need to get done for our next event. Rob is my number 1 supporter and I wouldn’t have this business if I didn’t feel like we were a team.
Tell us about your proudest achievement?
Finishing the trailer, honestly. I cried the day we finished it! We had Tilly’s debut for my baby shower so that could have been the hormones, who knows?!?! Also, two brides booked me pretty much the day I announced the start of this journey back in 2018 – That was pretty cool and I really felt like this is exactly where I need to be.
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