Have you ever opened a bottle of wine and thought, "what a beautiful bottle! Seems a shame to throw it away." Well, that is exactly how After the Wine Decor got started.

When Leilani Nichols and her husband, David, shared a bottle of wine on their anniversary, they thought, what a gorgeous bottle! What should we do with this?

Nichols actually had a business creating and selling cork art when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Unfortunately, she had to close shop because of the situation.

She and her husband were wondering what they should do. "My husband is a fabricator with an engineer brain, and I have the knack for creativity and design, so our relationship was a natural fit. So I said, "I could design a lamp out of this (wine bottle), and you can wire it!"

Thus, After the Wine Decor was born.

"Both of us have a love of architecture and the history behind that architecture. We like unique items that tell a story and wanted to do something different. Not like the ‘cookie cutter’ items you find at big box stores."

Some of the products they make at After the Wine Decor include lamps because Nichols believes lighting truly creates a mood in the home, and it enhances whatever you’re celebrating or experiencing at that moment. "Our lamp designs started out pretty basic, but they have become more intricate and more beautiful over time."

The Nichols also create portable nightlights that can be placed on your deck, patio, or boat to create a special ambience for different occasions. The nice thing about the nightlights is that they use fairy lights with replaceable batteries.

"I do a lot of nautical designs which are very popular. Each nightlight has its own individual ‘charm;’ anchors, netting, ship wheels, sailboats, mermaids. Then I also make them a little more upscale and use metal charms. The most popular being the dragonfly right now."

Some of the other items are wall art with corks, painting, and decoupage with photos.

Nichols says that she loves custom orders because the product really tells a story. "Thats what warms our hearts is to take a memory of someone’s and make it into a useful item in their home so they can tell their story. It really becomes a conversation piece."

Nichols loves to hear and create about people’s stories. "One lady searched us out and told us the story about how she and her husband celebrated their anniversary 48 years ago in England, and had a bottle of wine. They kept the bottle and brought it home. She recently found it in a cupboard and brought it to me and wanted something done with it. It was a very unusual bottle. Ceramic. We love to help people tell their stories through this memory art. "

Originally from Hawaii, Nichols’ husband has parental ties to Bath. They adore the Washington area and hope to help the town thrive.

After the Wine Decor is located inside the Crystal Coast Handcrafted Galleria at 230 West Main Street.