ABOUT
OUR JOURNEY
THE MERCHANT was born out of a love of travel - seeking out cultures, flavors and products. We curate the globe so you don’t have to.
Part retail, part sip n’ shop , we offer wine, beer, water and spirits that you won’t find anywhere else, locally.
Our products currently hail from Greece, Mexico, Italy and France but we’re constantly on the hunt to bring you the next best, unique libation from all corners of the globe.
Family owned & operated by residents of Highwood, IL
WHY THE WOLF?
I guess you can say, it’s our “spirit” animal.
Our name and brand identity were inspired by “Game of Thrones”. We romanticized the idea of old world merchants sailing the seas to bring libations from around the world into new shipping ports, lands, and markets - essentially starting international trade and instilling appreciation and demand for new, cultural consumables.
In “Game of Thrones”, the direwolf is the banner symbol, or sigil, for the House of Stark and Jon Snow, the show’s protagonist. Sigils are used to identify noble houses or royal kingdoms in the realm, representing the history, pride, values, and essence of each house.
We identified with the wolf, which represents hunters, seekers, wanderers, untamed wildness, and spirits of nature.