Hazel's
Is Flying
High
PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEPHEN COLLECTOR
Jim Dean, store manager and partner, of
Hazel's Beverage World, in Boulder, CO,
which has shown terrific sales success
after being open less than one year.
Hazel's Beverage
World, Boulder's
largest and newest
retail store, crafts a
modern approach
to service.
By Jack Robertiello
Sometimes, big is beautiful.
While many beverage retail entrepreneurs have recently opted for the business model and design of modest
stores serving particular niches, that's not what the partners and management had in mind when planning Hazel's
Beverage World, Boulder, CO's newest and biggest beverage alcohol retailer.
At 35,000 square feet and about 12,000 skus including soft drinks, cigars and related general merchandise, the
big store approach didn't slow down Hazel's dramatic ascent. In its first nine months or so in business, the store
exceeded in sales what consultants had projected would be a good start after two years, according to store manager
and partner Jim Dean. (Hazel's ranks as one of the largest liquor stores in the state in terms of square footage.)
While the attractions of a large, well-designed, easy-to-shop facility with a broad-based selection of beer, wine
and spirits are obvious, Hazel's planners didn't leave much to chance, deciding well in advance to craft a brand for
the store that would establish its personality and iconography in a coherent way.
30 • Beverage Dynamics • www.beveragedynamics.com • May/June 2013
