Paul Tully said the inspiration for Neapolitan came from his three daughters. Because one is a red head, one is a blonde and one is a brunette, they’ve been called the Neapolitan sisters since they were in school. One of them is now in the wine business and the family dreams of having a winery one day.“Until then, this is a first step,” said owner Paul Tully.The business opened primarily as a bottle shop at 800 St. Joseph St. in Carolina Beach in March 2023. But Paul Tully, and his daughters (Monica, Isabel an...
Paul Tully said the inspiration for Neapolitan came from his three daughters. Because one is a red head, one is a blonde and one is a brunette, they’ve been called the Neapolitan sisters since they were in school. One of them is now in the wine business and the family dreams of having a winery one day.
“Until then, this is a first step,” said owner Paul Tully.
The business opened primarily as a bottle shop at 800 St. Joseph St. in Carolina Beach in March 2023. But Paul Tully, and his daughters (Monica, Isabel and Grace Tully) hosted a grand re-opening ceremony in mid-October to celebrate a new era for the wine bar. Here’s a look.
Wine by the glass
Tully said it was a long, 10-month process full of meetings, permitting and rezoning, but Neapolitan is now a wine bar that can sell wines by the glass.
“We’ve had a lot of support from the community along the way,” he said. “And the response has been great.”
The goal is to offer high-quality wine, as well as beer and other beverages. So far, Tully said the selection is up to about 520 bottles of wine at the Carolina Beach shop.
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Wine on the patio
Technically, the patio at Neapolitan, which many locals may remember as The Checkered Church Gift Shop, has always been there.
But this fall, Tully added some seating and lighting to the side courtyard to expand the seating capacity.
“It’s a work in progress,” he said. “But it’s a nice space.”
Some of the tables are also equipped with fire pits to extend the outdoor season at Neapolitan.
Wine with friends
Speaking of space, Neapolitan is also larger than many people realize, Tully said, so it’s become popular for private events and meetings. Tully has also been partnering with a number of local businesses to other happenings.
Neapolitan already hosts a popular Tuesday night Portfolio Wine Tasting every week. They’ve also worked with Cherry Blossom Sushi at 8 Pavilion Ave S #7, Carolina Beach for regular Sushi Sundays. They’ve also hosted yoga and sparkling wine events on the patio,
Looking ahead, Tully said he’s also planning events like wine dinners with Pleasure Island restaurants.
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Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her at aballard@gannett.com.