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Ed & Juliette Jonna

T

he merchant of Vino's Ed Jonna often compares his busi-
ness philosophy to the last scene in the movie Butch Cassidy
and the Sundance Kid. "Newman and Redford come to the
edge of a cliff with the water rushing down below them," he says an-
imatedly. "Newman tells Redford he can't swim, and Redford says,
`It doesn't matter; the fall is gonna kill us.' It's the way I feel about
risk in business. If you analyze it, you won't do it."
Ed Jonna grew up in the food business, working for his father from
the time he was 10 years old, as a butcher, sweeper and stock boy.
In 1972, he owned a successful package liquor business, the
Tradewinds. Then he and his wife Juliette traveled, sampling the
food and wines of France and frequenting the gourmet delis in New
York. Jonna was determined to put his expertise into a concept. He
coined the name Merchant of Vino and invested $38 in a logo.
In 1974, he opened the first Merchant of Vino, featuring imported
wines and cheeses. Six years later, Jonna opened a second store in

Southfield on Northwestern Highway adding more gourmet items.
Juliette, who had been a full-time homemaker raising their four
children, began helping in the store, checking on the food items. She
made caviar dip from the unsold caviar, salmon cakes from the left-
over smoked salmon and stuffed boneless chicken breasts. Soon, she
started selling her own preparations in the counter space. This be-
came the genesis of Juliette's Cuisine, a division of Merchant of Vino,
which provides custom catering, freshly prepared food for carryout
and artfully arranged food baskets. A fifth store is scheduled to open
on Maple and Coolidge in November.
Juliette created her own vocabulary to describe the Jonnas' secret
of success. "Humbility," she says. "We have the ability to be hum-
ble. We're always in tune with the times. We're willing to turn our
business around to make sure our customers are happy."

Linda Benson

STYLE • WINTER 1995 •

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