Wine & Design Fredericksburg: Merging a Passion of Self-Development Mentorship With Art

Written By Liz Hensel - Content Coordinator

Michelle is a franchise owner who has been the owner of Wine & Design of Fredericksburg for the past 9 years. 

It was a bittersweet serendipitous moment that led her to open her own franchise. The closest Wine & Design to her at the time was in Richmond. Her friends were all going, and she was supposed to go too, except that the theme was Paint Your Pet. Michelle had just rehomed her dog, and it was just too sad to attend. 

Soon after that, a family friend opened a Wine & Design in Charlottesville. This really piqued Michelle’s interest. A Wine & Design in Fredericksburg seemed like a great idea. 

With no artistic background, Michelle went for it. She opened up her own franchise and now it has become a staple for fun events in Fredericksburg. 

What she loves about Wine & Design is that anyone can paint! You don’t have to be an artist because you are guided through every step.

Wine & Design offer 6 divisions 

  1. On Wheels Studio: Their mobile art studio can accommodate up to 100 people.

  2. Private parties: requires a minimum of 10 people. 

  3. Art Buzz Kids: a program tailored to spark every child’s creativity. 

  4. Paint It Forward: a fun way to raise money and bring awareness to any cause. 

  5. Team Building: combining working together to provide an inspiring space for co-workers. 

  6. D.I.Y.: Any art form that is not on canvas, like home décor, hand knitting, etc. 

As a small woman-owned business there are always going to be challenges. Michelle says that she has an incredible team at Wine & Design and that she can always ask for help and receive the support she needs. In return, she is always finding ways to celebrate her team.

Wine & Design loves to celebrate date nights, mom’s night out, retirement parties, and any celebration you can think of. Michelle’s favorite part of work is the team-building events. She has a passion and love for self-development coaching. In the future, she hopes to bring self-development and Wine & Design together for specialized workshops  

When not painting you can find Michelle on a trail or taking an early morning walk at the city dock, right down the street from her studio.

To take a class or book your next event visit their website at wineanddesign.com/fredericksburg-va.

Liz Hensel - Content Coordinator

Liz has been living in the Stafford area for the last two years. However, her ties are rooted to Virginia, as Virginia was her first duty station while she was on active duty with the Marine Corps. Her husband is still on active duty, and they hope to make Stafford their forever home with their two daughters and two rescue dogs.

While serving in the Marine Corps and Marine Corps reserves has allowed Liz to see all parts of the country and the world, there is truly no place like home. Working on this magazine gives Liz the opportunity to meet her neighbors and the local businesses and more importantly, she gets to showcase them to others.

Liz is also the founder of a nonprofit called Leave No Paws Behind USA. She led the campaign to have legislative change to include pet transportation fees included in military moves. With her leadership, the bill was passed in the FY23 National Defense Appropriation Act.

Liz is excited to continue to write the stories of the FXBG Neighbors

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