to survive – it's all nonessential," Ron says. "Tobacco, soda, liquor, beer. What do you need those for? That was always the biggest challenge, but I truly enjoyed greeting people on the sales floor and trying to help them spend their money."
Though the mass market Busch Light 30-packs is one of the store's biggest sellers, Van's also offers an extensive collection of craft and micro brews.
people, so it's a small town and you have to rely on rela- tionships you've built throughout the years," Jeff says. "We have very loyal customers and we provide them with very loyal, friendly service. We know that this is a regular stop for people, just like they hit the grocery store every week, and I can't tell you how nice it is to know people by name and recognize their faces when they walk in."
His father recognized from the beginning that get- ting people into the store and giving them a reason to come back was going to make or break his business. "There's not one thing at Van's that people need to have
Van's Facts and Figures
Location: East Dubuque, IL
Founded: Following the Repeal of Prohibition
Owners: Ron Jansen, Jeff Jansen and Glen "Bart" Bartelme
Size: Three-story, 21,000 square foot build- ing with a 7,000 square foot sales floor
Sales: Mix of 30% liquor, 22% tobacco, 18% beer, 15% wine and 15% miscellaneous
"We have very loyal customers and we provide them with very loyal, friendly
service." — Jeff Jansen
Two Generations of Lessons Learned "T
he most important thing I've learned over the years is to listen to customers," Jeff says. "There's no magic button you can push, you have to take care of the customers who take care of you. People talk, and they share stories of great service with others whether you're in a small town or a big city. Mom and pop stores have dissolved over time as people have been trained to shop at Walmart or Target, but with the service and attention we provide customers, hopefully coming into our stores is worthwhile." Today Ron is 61, living in Arizona and enjoying life. Every morning he still checks his computer to see how the store is performing. He owns 55% of the company, "so I can make sure I stay retired." He's experienced successes and failures with a number of business ven- tures since he left day-to-day operations at Van's, but he says he'll never stop picking himself up and trying something new.
"I never thought about getting rich or how many hours I was working or how much I had invested, I just wanted to be successful," he says. "It was a won- derful ride and I'd do it all over again. It was the best experience of my life."
s Beverage Dynamics • www.beveragedynamics.com • July/August 2012 • 37
