Meet Lora Lepley

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lora Lepley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lora, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Taking risks and learning from their successes or failures is vital to moving forward in life and in business. Risk taking has played a huge role in our lives as we have been able to learn much from the businesses we have had in the past and the one we have now.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Crafty Rabbit Meadery, LLC is a farm winery that specializes in the production of the oldest alcoholic beverage ever made. We are currently the only Meadery in the West GA area which makes, bottles, and sells our products through a tasting room model. We began on our farm by converting our Wedding Venue into the Meadery after covid. This was how we were able to save the farm! The challenge of attracting people to the farm with the mapping difficulties sent us searching for a satellite property to move the production and tasting room. We are, now, excited about being able to utilize our full farm winery license here in Carrollton, GA. The process of moving from the farm into the city was challenging but we had many people helping and cheering us on along the way. One lesson and a big challenge was opening during an election year. We are still presented with difficulties each day, but we have been pushing through the obstacles as they arise and will not give up! We believe that the model we have set forth is comforting to the community and is a great outlet for those in need of stress relief and relaxation due to the entertainment we provide such as Music Bingo, Karaoke, Line Dancing, and Open Mic Nights. We have a wide selection of beverages you don’t see in any other tasting room in GA. There is a 24 tap self-serve craft beer wall, Mead (honey wine), frozen drinks with and without alcohol, as well as a full cocktail bar; all served in our tasting room!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Tuesday, we would start with “Heaven in Your Home” downtown for some fantastic comfort food one evening and then to “Local Ties Brewery” for some great craft beer and/or seltzers, Wednesday, we would start our day at “Brown Dog” for some more fantastic food at lunch, walk around the square to visit the shops and underground bookstore and check out the progress of another brewery “Dream City” before heading down “The Crafty Rabbit Meadery” to play some washer boards, cornhole, one of the many games available, or watch a ball game. Thursday, we may head to “The Cultivation Station” for yoga, pilates, chair, or dance class for some exercise after all the really good food. Then we could head to Shucker Oyster Bar for more fantastic food head back to the Meadery for Music Bingo and great drinks! Friday, we could pack a lunch and take a walk on the Green Belt which is close to the Meadery and have lunch at the park there. We would, again, head to the Meadery for Karaoke night which usually includes a little dancing in between. Saturday, we would head back to “Heaven in Your Home” for a scrumptious breakfast you can’t finish! We would hang out at one of the great coffee shops on Adamson Square and relax. We would end the day back at the Meadery for Line Dancing, food from one of the Food Trucks that’s there on Saturdays, and more great drinks! Other days we would to visit the “Quilt Museum”,” Cultural Arts Center”, Play Trivia or watch a concert at “The Amp”, or even head to a surrounding city closeby.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
As a family owned business, we have all supported and pushed each other, including our son, Joshua, through good and bad times. In the last 5 years, we have had a great friend, Jimmy West, who has helped us in any way possible to get us to the point we are now. Also, the staff at the City of Carrollton, who turned created their ordinances in a very efficient and timely manner so we could utilize our entire license and welcomed us into their city!

Website: www.thecraftyrabbitmeadery.com

Instagram: @THECRAFTYRABBITMEADERY

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