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.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/565520
[ RETAIL PROFILE ] www.beveragedynamics.com September/October 2015• Beverage Dynamics 29 lationship with Central California, smaller producers that we helped launch and create business for." A HISTORY IN BUSINESS Khoury himself is a local product. He grew up in the northeast Nevada town of Elko, the son of a grocery-store owner. "I was always intrigued by wines at our local shop," he re- members. "My father was known to have one of the better se- lections around." Khoury attended UNLV and then worked for the The John- son Brothers of Nevada, a wine wholesaler and importer. "I ran sales routes for them," Khoury recalls. "I was barely 21 years old. I would go to California a lot, and fell in love with mom- and-pop places." "At that time in Vegas there were mostly bigger shops," he adds. "I spotted a niche that I thought I could do well with. I wanted to focus on overseen products that don't get the attention of the big guys." His idea became a reality in 2004. And from the beginning, Khoury's held tastings every Thursday night, which is now when the store holds weekly wine tastings. "These are conducted by sales reps, winemakers and suppli- ers," Rude says. "We feature in-store wines, or low-case wines." "Our tastings have a loyal following," she adds. "There's a core of 20 to 25 people who come every week, and in total we get about 40 to 50 people on any given Thursday." On Wednesdays, the store holds keg-tappings. With its em- phasis on local and craft, the pub rotates in kegs of rare, small- batch beers. These brews are frequently new to market, never before distributed in Nevada. These tapping events have given rise to a store tradition: bot- tle sharing. Khoury's allows patrons to bring one beer bottle per person on Wednesday nights, to be shared among participants. "This was started by the customers," Gutierr says. "We ask that they bring in something rare-to-market for others to try." HAPPY EMPLOYEES, HAPPY CUSTOMERS A hallmark of successful businesses is employee retention. This is not so easily achieved in retail, since workers may regularly move on to other occupations. Khoury's seems to get the most out of its employees, and then send them up the professional ladder. "We have had people work here for four years now," Khoury says. "Those that do move on are still involved, like moving on to supplier positions." "It's always sad to see them go, but I'm proud that they're moving on to bigger and better things within the industry," he adds. "I think that refl ects well on the shop." Khoury wants to "create an environment where the em- ployees want to be," so that staff become friends. And em- ployee happiness translates into how they handle customers. "Our staff likes to become one-on-one with customers," Khoury explains. "They know customers' names and what they like. We defi nitely encourage that. I want everyone greeted as soon as they walk in the door. We encourage con- versation between staff and customers. We want to fi nd out what they're in the mood for. We try to become friends with them, not just salesmen." Rude believes that Khoury's philosophy has been success- ful. "Issa has dedicated himself to creating an environment that has a sense of family and friendship," she says. "We forge real relationships with customers here." That philosophy can sometimes have unintended conse- quences for customers. "We want the customer to feel comfortable here," Khoury says. "We had one guy who would come in all the time. He'd just buy his alcohol and leave. But then one day he decided to stick around and have a beer. He ended up staying for about three hours, chatting with people and being friendly." "The next day he came back with his wife and asked me to tell her where he had been," Khoury laughs. "Turns out that when he had gone home, she asked him 'Where were you for three hours?' He had told her that he had been at a liquor store having a beer. She said 'I don't believe you'. She didn't believe that there'd be a pub in a liquor store. So he had to bring her in here to show her that this really was a cool place to hang out." BD "Unlike most bars in Las Vegas, there's no gaming at the store and no loud music." — Issa Khoury