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/658171
20 Beverage Dynamics • March/April 2016 www.beveragedynamics.com For those unaware, Happy Harry's shops have for years been iconic beverage alcohol stores in the Upper Midwest - large format operations that serve not only local citizens, but also travelers on their way to vacation spots, and even Canadians who've come south for recre- ation and some shopping. Not only for the stores' extensive selection of beer, wine, spir- its, tobacco and other products, but - for fi rst-timers especially - to check out the barn and silo prairie-style architecture that are the trademark look of three (now four) Happy Harry's stores. The chain's last new store, its fourth, opened in 2000, (a lifetime ago in retail terms). For his fi fth unit, Gershman and his team looked to the south side of Fargo, a growing area where available land allowed designers to expand on the other formats. Planning and execution took some time, but the shop, which "We're always looking for opportunities to grow, but we like to stick to our knitting and the markets we know." — Hal Gershman, owner, Happy Harry's Bottle Shops BY JACK ROBERTIELLO HAPPY HARRY'S GROWS BIGGER The North Dakota chain's new store is as big as the Plains. North Dakota might not be the fi rst region that comes to mind when thinking of urban growth. But Hal Gershman, owner of the Happy Harry's Bottle Shops in the cities of Grand Forks and Fargo, thought there was still plenty of room for his busi- ness to expand in his neck of the woods. PHOTOS COURTESY OF HANEY'S PHOTOGRAPHY [ RETAIL PROFILE ]