Beverage Dynamics

Beverage Dynamics May-June 2016

Beverage Dynamics is the largest national business magazine devoted exclusively to the needs of off-premise beverage alcohol retailers, from single liquor stores to big box chains, through coverage of the latest trends in wine, beer and spirits.

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18 Beverage Dynamics • May/June 2016 www.beveragedynamics.com [ RETAIL PROFILE ] chest-high for the average person) provides clean line of sight across the store and its more than 2,000 SKUs of spirits, 1,500 for beer and 3,000 for wine. A 3,500-square-foot mezzanine houses storage and offices, allowing Legacy to use every bit of its 8,500-square-foot sales floor. The Chenal Valley part of west Little Rock, where Legacy is located, is an upscale pocket of about 14 neighborhoods. Chenal Country Club was estab- lished in 1990, and homes were built soon after. "It's been a golf course commu- nity in the making for 20 years," Vines says. "These are very edu- cated, well-traveled people with lots of expendable income. The store has really addressed a need; it has a very sophisticated audience." BUILDING THE BEST TEAM Among its 20 overall employees in- cluding management are a handful of highly certified and sought-af- ter beer and wine experts. "We've learned a lot about hospitality and providing service to our custom- ers," Akins says. "That's why we sought the staff we were looking for. We wanted to make sure we were the leaders." By what Atkins calls "a stroke of luck," local sommelier Hamilton was in search of a job when Legacy opened. He had amassed his own following in the area. "We call them Jimmy's Groupies," Akins says of his general manager—and the first som- melier in the state of Arkansas. When Hamilton earned the title nine years ago, the term was just becoming popular. "Weeks and weeks in France in Germany have directed a lot of my wine purchases and programs," Hamilton says, adding that he lived a year in New Zealand and traveled in Australia as well. "When I came back, the New Zealand Savingnon Blanc craze was going on." He also loves California, including Sonoma, Napa and the California central coast. "You learn something new every time you go out there," he says. Since joining the team at Legacy, he's been singularly focused on developing a wine culture in his home state, and also provides education for restaurants in the area with Legacy's blessing. Last year, Hamilton presided over the very first Court of Master Som- meliers introductory course and exam in Arkansas. Legacy will soon send off about 10 staff members to get certifica- tions in spirits after a spate of self- taught coursework. Atkins says the store budgets for employee educa- tion, believing it's more than worth the investment. Hamilton, who has also logged 15 years in the bar and restaurant industries, says this investment in employees isn't as common as he'd like it to be. "The guys here absolutely go out of their way to invest in their team," he says. Legacy is also extremely proud of its two cicerones, Slade Wright— who left a position in Houston to return to Little Rock and work at Legacy—and Jake Dell. There are only five cicerones statewide, and only Wright and Dell work in a retail store. They manage the beer inventory, growlers and craft beer "pick six" area with 200 beers to choose from. "They were a great fit for us," Akins says, "so we hired both of them without hesitation." CRAFT BEER BOOM Legacy's beer-tasting bar features 16 beers on tap and the largest growler station in Arkansas. "It's one of the most important parts of our store," Bevans says. Dell says Arkansas is experiencing a craft-beer boom; Lega- cy's number-one selling beer is locally made, he says, and new breweries are popping up all the time. He doesn't worry about competition–more is always better. "I know couples who will drive out here for date nights and do the wine tasting on the way to their dinner and make it a part of their evening." —Brooke Vines, Advertising Agent, Legacy Wine and Spirits A view of Legacy's expansive floorplan from the mezzanine offices. Owners John Akins and David Bevans (seated), with the Legacy staff.

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