Welcome to With Grace, your mindful marketplace. I'm Dana, and this is my dream come true: an art-filled shop by the water that makes a sober + vegan lifestyle accessible - and all the more delicious!
I have found the growth of the sober movement really inspiring. Whether it's for mental health, physical well-being, lifestyle choices, safety, allergies or simply avoiding hangovers, however you find yourself on the sober spectrum, I'm happy you're here. :) With Grace is a family affair and we invite the curious and the hesitant alike to come explore, try new things and ask any questions they may have. This is our life, these are our values and we only carry what we love.
For the past few years, I have been on a quest for the best-tasting non-alcoholic beers, dealcoholized wines, and zero-proof cocktails, pairing each with as many vegan variations of cheese and cake as I can find. I may no longer indulge in alcohol or consume meat or dairy but I still believe in the magic that takes place when you combine good food and drink with great company.
A bit of my journey to here -- I transitioned to a sober lifestyle in 2019, outside of my family, I consider it the greatest accomplishment of my life. It wasn't easy but I have learned that few worthwhile things are. At the time, I was in my mid-thirties, grappling with depression, having been treated for stomach ulcers, kidney problems, and an array of autoimmune issues, it was clear that the good times, as I knew them, were killing me and it was time to rethink the equation.
Once I removed booze from my life and began questioning the status quo, I found myself wondering, what else had I convinced myself I needed that I truly didn't? It wasn't long before I started eliminating dairy and meat from my diet as well and learning more about animal welfare and the global impacts of factory farming. Thus, evolving into a sober vegan — the weirdo of all cocktail hours and corporate functions.
“How do you live without cheese?” “Isn't life dull without drinking?” “Are you pregnant? You must be pregnant.” I fielded the questions with a smile and adapted to a life of tonic water and salads. Listen, my choices are mine and I'm confident with them, but amidst daily reports of climate crises and escalating addiction rates, with a social media thread fueled by discussions on living a more mindful life, it felt paradoxical to feel like an outcast when my motives felt so aligned with the required changes everyone seemed to be talking about. For the betterment of mind, body & planet.
Nothing changes if nothing changes. The desire for a new norm seemed evident but when it came to unwinding, many of my friends seemed trapped in outdated thinking. So, I embarked on a personal mission to normalize what I love the most — my values — and to find alternatives that could replicate those cherished social experiences: drink in hand, a creamy brie on an artisanal cracker and shared laughter over common ground, all the while making conscious choices and staying true to my values. This marked the inception of With Grace.
Personally, I believe that I vote for the world I want to live in with every dollar spent and for that reason, I spend a lot of time researching the environmental, social & governance principles of the companies and products I support. Learning what I have and desiring a better world for my kids, I can sometimes become pretty passionate about these issues... Passionate can sometimes be interpreted as "emotional" which is not what a woman with a cause ever wants to be called. And for this woman, it tends to only make me louder.
The name With Grace comes from an expression a good friend loves to use when reminding me that no one listens when being yelled at. She'll let me rant and then she'll take a pause and say, “Great, now let’s try again, this time with grace.” It represents a softer, more considerate approach to the things I am passionate about. And when I discovered the acronym below that seemed to so succinctly define what I hope to accomplish with this store, I knew it was meant to be.
Thank you for taking the time to read a little about my story. Hope to see you in the shop sometime soon, I would love to hear some of yours.
With Grace,
Dana