BEDFORD, Ohio — Dre and Brittany Wiley are the definition of a power couple. This husband and wife team are the owners of Magna Family Brands Hospitality Group, which is a network of organizations and businesses across Northeast Ohio. But their passion for people, business and connection is even reflected in how they first met.
"Our stories are different. Mine is the truth," Brittany said with a smile. "We met downtown. I was at an event that was a networking event. He came in for his father's birthday...we ended up chatting all night, dancing all night."
That instant connection led not only to their union and family, but to their shared entrepreneurial drive as well. They decided to go into business together, opening a wine store, called Magna Wine Boutique, in Bedford in 2020. A second location in Cuyahoga Falls soon followed.
"The coolest thing about all of our businesses and spaces is that we've created them ourselves. So we've actually put the elbow grease in them," Dre explained.
The wine boutiques focus on minority-owned and women-owned wine brands.
"We are so proud to offer wines from India, Tasmania, China, places that you would not necessarily think wine came from, often overlooked countries," Brittany said.
As Dre explains, they feel a commitment and personal connection to each of their stores.
"If you go to one of the Magnas and you see some of the furniture there, we either partner with a local individual to make them, or we went in there with our hammers, our nails, and we put them on a wall ourselves."
And now Brittany and Dre are expanding their business model with their newest location, Motiv, a wine, cocktail and coffee bar in Shaker Heights.
"We serve everything from our coffee, which is Mocha Coffee Company, to our wine, Magna Wine Collection craft cocktails, which is the culmination of everything that we embody when it comes to people our age in our thirties," Brittany said. "We're young, we're vibrant. We're working these full-time jobs. Where do we go in the afternoons and evenings to let our hair down and unbutton that top button and just have a little bit of fun?"
Committed to extending their family environment to all patrons, Brittany and Dre hope that stepping into their spaces feels like stepping into their living room.
"You don't have those safe spaces either. The place is too loud. It's too loud, or they don't cater to who you are as an individual," Dre explained. "Where do you go to where you could feel like you just live into your living room? It's just a stop before your final stop, which is your home."
Magna Brands has a number of public events in the works, including a backpack giveaway at the Cuyahoga Falls location starting August 9th through August 12th. Follow @MagnaWineBoutique on Instagram for more information.