Kelly Blomfield stopped consuming alcohol during the lockdown after drinking more than she was comfortable with.
She had become what is called sober-curious — when people choose to drink less or stop altogether for physical or mental benefits.
A sober-curious lifestyle is voluntary and not the result of a diagnosed condition.
Ms Blomfield was pleased with her decision, but confessed it took a toll on her social life.
"I found myself not going to social functions and stuff as much ... I don’t just want to take a bottle of lemonade, [like] a little kid at a party, you kind of want to be included."
As her frustration grew, she also noticed that the range of non-alcoholic beverages was increasing across the country, as well as the world.
Alcohol-free drinks were designed to mimic the taste of spirits, wines and beers but without the alcohol content.
According to Nielsen, sales of this type of beverage had skyrocketed over the past two years, surpassing $3 billion in sales last year.
"It is one of the biggest growth sectors in the beverage industry, which is awesome to see.
"And there’s a lot of New Zealand products available, but I was not being able to find it and had to buy online."
Ms Blomfield will be opening the doors of Altered, at Leven St in Invercargill.
The store also will host tasting, tutorials and offer garnishes for non-alcoholic drinks.
She believed the number of sober-curious people was increasing across the region and wanted to create something to showcase the best in the industry.
"I think there has been a lot of work put into alcohol harm reduction in the community ... And I think some of that is starting to actually flow through.
"As well as I just think the younger generations sort of don’t drink like my generation, but people still want to have something different."
While the store would serve non-alcoholic drinks, it was still made for 18+ people.
"Technically, there’s nothing to stop me from doing that. But I don’t know. Even though it’s alcohol free, I still don’t want to encourage drinking among under-age [people] at all."
Ms Blomfield was excited by the thought of a positive response from the public when she opens her doors on Monday. The store will offer a range of premium non-alcoholic drinks from New Zealand brands as well as imported.
"You will be able to make all these amazing cocktails and the best part is you will not just be relegated to the kids table," she laughed.
