Lifted Spirits Leases 3,000 Square Feet in Jersey City

Residents in Jersey City’s Journal Square neighborhood will soon have a new place to buy wine and spirits. Lifted Spirits has signed a lease for a 3,000-square-foot ground-floor space in The Greyson at 25 Cottage Street. The location sits along Homestead Place, a retail pedestrian plaza that has been under development for several years.

The store aims to serve as a neighborhood destination rather than just a point of sale. Founders Greg Cochran and Stephen Denaro want to combine a curated selection of Old World wines with education and hospitality. They plan to stock bottles generally priced between $15 and $100. The inventory will include options for casual drinkers, emerging enthusiasts, and serious collectors.

The founders intend to make the shop accessible to customers with varying levels of wine knowledge. They hope patrons can ask questions and learn about the regions and winemaking traditions behind their purchases. The team is also exploring opportunities to host classes and programming for residents of the Greyson building.

Cochran brings a background from the Culinary Institute of America and is a certified sommelier. He previously served as General Manager at Murray’s Cheese and Great Jones Distilling Co. Denaro is a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers. He previously worked as General Manager at Daniel Boulud’s Le Gratin. Both founders have extensive experience building beverage programs in New York City restaurants.

Cochran said the goal is to create a place where people at every level of knowledge can discover great wine and spirits. “We see Lifted Spirits as much more than a place to buy a bottle of wine,” he said. “Our goal is to create a neighborhood destination where people at every level of knowledge can discover great wine and spirits, ask questions, and learn.”

Denaro added that the shop will provide the same level of attention to a buyer seeking an everyday bottle as to a serious collector. “Lifted Spirits gives us the opportunity to bring that experience into a neighborhood setting,” Denaro said. “We want the wines we carry to be true expressions of where they come from and what they are supposed to be, while making that experience approachable to anyone who walks through the door.”

The business is targeting an opening in late 2026 or early 2027.