Over the course of his 30-year career, TJ Douglas has worked on all sides of the hospitality industry - including restaurant management, distribution, and beverage retail. TJ uses his decades of experience to lead several groundbreaking wine industry businesses, all of which are dedicated to creating community through beverage.
Along with his wife, Hadley, TJ is the founder of The Urban Grape, an award-winning wine store in the South End neighborhood of Boston, in 2010. The store concept is simple, but revolutionary – Drink Progressively. The store's proprietary Progressive Scale system organizes wine by its body, instead of by varietal or region.
The Urban Grape has become one of the most successful independently-owned wine stores in the country as a result, and was named the United States Small Business of the Year in 2021. The Urban Grape is also a 4-time Top 100 Wine Retail Store in America winner, a 2-time Wine Enthusiast Wine Star Nominee, a 5-time ICIC Inner City 100 winner, and a 6-time Best of Boston winner. The store has been nationally profiled in Food & Wine, The New York Times, NPR, Wine Spectator, and Wine Enthusiast, among others. TJ and Hadley were named EY Entrepreneurs of the Year in 2021. In 2023, TJ was a Wine Enthusiast Future 40 winner.
In 2022, TJ and Hadley founded Progressive Wine Company, a new wine brand dedicated to creating access to the wine industry for BIPOC consumers and others who have previously felt like the wine industry was intimidating and not approachable. In 2023, TJ founded the Drink Progressively Group, a Boston-based management company that oversees the work of Douglas’ business ventures. TJ is also a founder of The Urban Grape Wine Studies Award for Students of Color and the co-author of Drink Progressively: A Bold New Way to Pair Wine and Food.
TJ is a frequent panelist and keynote speaker at wine industry conferences and business events. His pioneering story of success transcends industries. He is a nationally recognized wine educator who travels nationwide to lead wine tastings for corporations and other organizations. His specialized wine tasting, “My Life Through the Lens of a Wine Glass,” has been heralded as an impactful way for corporations to learn about the importance of DEI work. Booking inquiries click here.
TJ is an active member of his community, serving on the Steering Committee for the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, the Board of Trustees of The Fessenden School and Summer Search Boston, the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Metropolitan College at Boston University, and as the Vice President and Founding Member of the Boston Black Golf Association.
