Behind every Outer Banks business are people doing their best to make a living while still finding time to enjoy this beautiful place they call home. In this edition of Get to Know the Locals, you’ll meet two of them: Laura and Phil Wayland, owners of three thriving Outer Banks businesses: Chip’s Wine & Beer, Front Porch Café and Outer Banks Olive Oil.
Phil’s background is in consulting, data management and healthcare. Laura developed her business skills while building a nationwide team through an in-home wine-tasting company as a stay-at-home mom. After devoting seven years to her company, it folded in 2010. She took the knowledge she gained through her experience and purchased a wine and beer store, subsequently developing unique olive oil wine shops and in 2021 purchasing three locations of Front Porch Cafe. With 19 years in the wine industry and 11 years as retail store owners, Laura and Phil have achieved success through pursuing their passions.
Laura says she and Phil have learned to be resourceful and strategic, adding that her background in a direct sales business shaped her knowledge in dealing with customers, managing and motivating a team of employees and working effectively when every dollar counts.
Mainly, though, it’s people who drive their business.
“We believe community, customers and our employees are the backbones to making a successful business,” Laura says. “All the pieces work together in creating an environment that customers want to shop in, the community wants to support and employees want to work in. Our goal is to create a culture that supports all three of these.”
Read on to learn more about these successful entrepreneurs and their life on the Outer Banks.
Q&A with Laura Wayland
How long have you lived on the Outer Banks and how did you end up here?
We met in college at James Madison University. I grew up near Virginia Beach and always loved being by the ocean. We have lived six years in the Outer Banks, but before that we lived in Moyock for 12 years. During our time in Moyock, I would commute to Kill Devil Hills and Phil worked in Norfolk. When we were finally able to sell our house that had been underwater for so many years and Phil got the okay to work from home, we jumped at the opportunity and made the move here permanently. Being close to our businesses was always part of the plan!
What did you do before you were in this business?
After college I was a party planner and wedding coordinator in Virginia while Phil worked as a consultant for an engineering firm in the Hampton Roads area. After having kids, I was a stay-at-home mom for years and Phil still worked a full-time job.
Photo: Chip's Kill Devil Hills location
What made you want to own a wine store?
I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit, and when the opportunity to buy Chip’s Wine & Beer came up we knew it was the stars aligning. We walked into Chip’s on a blustery, windy March night and fell in love with the store. I remember saying, “This is exactly the type of wine store I would love to own.” After securing the almost impossible bank loan (it was 2010 and banks were not loaning money), Phil was laid off from his job within the first six months of owning Chip’s. With zero job prospects in sight, we doubled down and opened our second location in Moyock so I could work there and Phil could run the Kill Devil Hills location. Our kids got off the bus at the store because we couldn’t afford child care. I was the only employee at our Moyock location for the first year and half, and we worked every day.
What motivates you to work hard in your line of work?
The people! I adore my employees and want to create an environment that people can feel successful in, where they can learn and where they can grow. The more we grow as a company the more opportunities I have for them to move up with us.
What’s your favorite OBX town or village?
I really love all of them for different reasons! We live in Kill Devil Hills and with it being so central it’s perfect for us to be able to get to the all stores from Duck to Manteo.
What is your favorite thing about living on the Outer Banks?
The people! There are some of the nicest, most caring people we have met here.
What is your favorite season on the Outer Banks?
Fall. Things slow down just a bit, but not too much. The weather is beautiful, and the water is still warm.
What do you do for fun?
We love to travel, go to wine tastings, go out to eat and cook!
Photo: Laura and a staff member at Outer Banks Olive Oil
What’s your favorite beach access?
Asheville. It’s always been our go-to. It was closest to the first house we lived in here and we still go there now even though it’s a bit farther away.
Describe your perfect day off.
Coffee in bed and a walk on the beach.
Do you see more sunrises or sunsets?
Sunsets, although they are both breathtaking.
What’s one thing you wish more Outer Banks visitors knew?
How hard everyone here on the beach works to make your time here memorable.
Where do you go on vacation?
Traveling is one of our passions. We love the beach, but we also love to ski. Our family goes on a ski vacation almost every year, and we go back to one of the places that Phil and I met in college and we now take our kids there every year. We also love to go wine tasting and have visited California, Italy and France to visit wineries.
For a celebratory dinner, would you rather order take-out, go out to eat or cook something at home?
We love to go out to eat. We have visited some of the most amazing restaurants around the world, but we have some amazing restaurants and chefs right here in the Outer Banks. We really love a great wine-pairing dinner!
What is your favorite local seafood?
Oysters for sure!
Photo: The Kill Devil Hills location of Front Porch Cafe
What’s your favorite wine and favorite beer at Chip’s?
How can we pick just one? It definitely depends on the day or the mood or what we are eating. There’s nothing like that perfect pairing.
What’s your favorite thing about your job?
I like my day to be different every day. I would have a hard time sitting at a desk or being at a computer all day. For years I interacted at the stores with the customers working alongside my employees. Running three different businesses and multiple locations is challenging, but I love sharing my passion for wine, beer, gourmet food and coffee. I enjoy creating and seeing people thrive in their new roles of management. While I do miss the daily interactions with the customers, I know I am learning and growing too.
What’s the most challenging part of your job?
Knowing that sometimes there are things that are out of your control. I am working on knowing that sometimes I can’t fix all the problems.
How did the pandemic affect your business?
When the shutdown happened that was one of the hardest things I have been through as an owner. Laying off our staff gutted me. I know I am responsible for people’s livelihoods and I take that very seriously. Chip’s stayed open since we were an essential business, and our online shipping for Outer Banks Olive Oil exploded. We immediately started doing virtual tastings and happy hours. My favorite night was a blind wine tasting we did virtually, and also our wine and chocolate pairing that we did was a lot of fun. We must have gone a bit crazy as at one of our happy hours we were dressed up as pirates! We just wanted to bring a little fun and joy into people’s lives during a really rough time. We also started sharing our virtual cooking classes while we cooked using our olive oils and vinegars. We were so appreciative of how many people watched us, reached out to support us and ordered online. It was then that we really saw how much our products and our service meant to people.
This summer at Front Porch Café and all the stores we dealt with record numbers of customers. Front Porch particularly dealt with long lines to get coffee. The staff was amazing as they dealt with larger than normal volume, but we have added online ordering so our regulars can skip the lines.
Do you have any side hustles?
Just two kids and two demanding and spoiled dogs.
Do you have any pet projects or is there a local nonprofit that you’re passionate about?
This year Outer Banks Olive oil has a limited release turtle bottle that gives money to NEST (Network for Endangered Sea Turtles). We are super excited to announce that we donated a little more than $5,000 this year. Any purchase of our turtle bottle gives money to NEST, and I am super proud of my staff for supporting this cause.
What’s one item on your bucket list?
We have a few bucket list trips we would like to take. At the top of the list, we would love to do a safari in Africa.
Photo: Laura and Phil hosting an online blind wine tasting during the COVID shutdowns.
Chip’s Wine & Beer has locations in Kill Devil Hills and Moyock
Front Porch Cafe has locations in Manteo, Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills
Outer Banks Olive Oil has locations in Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills and Duck
About the Author Molly Harrison
Molly Harrison is managing editor at OneBoat, publisher of OuterBanksThisWeek.com. She moved to Nags Head in 1994 and since then has made her living writing articles and creating publications about the people, places and culture of the Outer Banks.
