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/675795
www.beveragedynamics.com May/June 2016 • Beverage Dynamics 17 A rkansas native David Bevans has always loved taking care of people. The co-owner of Legacy Wine and Spir- its in Little Rock, Arkansas, remembers his childhood home as a gathering place. His father, now 78, is a well-known doctor in the area who loved to have cocktail and holiday parties. "I took cues from him on how to make people feel welcome," says Bevans, who also spent decades managing bars and restaurants before breaking into the beverage retailing in- dustry. "It's something I've always been well adapted to." In January 2014, Bevans and co-owner Johnny Akins and fi rst purchased a preexisting space in southwest Little Rock, after being friends for a decade and coworkers for eight of those years in, of all things, the dental offi ce–management business. After securing a liquor license, however, the intent was to build a new store in the more affl uent west end of town. "We wanted more of a wine-based clientele," Akins says, "so we spent a couple years in that store building distributor relation- ships and inventory, and learning the industry. A year later, we started the construction on Legacy." Bevans and Akins opened the 11,000-square-foot space—conceived as a destination wine, spirits, and craft beer store—in 2015. FEELS LIKE HOME Local designer Gary Murtons helped them lay out the store, en- hancing the ideas Akins and Bevans already had. Legacy's adver- tising agent, Brooke Vines, says the store feels like "you're having wine in somebody's house," with leather furniture providing seat- ing in front of a modern decorative fi re place, and a large table. "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," Vines says. While the space was designed to meet with brides, event planners and distributors,"it has turned out to be a great place to hold 30-minute wine, spirits, and beer classes," says general manager Jimmy Hamilton. "At the table, we can offer themed tastings with three servings side-by-side. In my mind, that's the best way to discern minor differences." Overhead throughout the store are crystal chandeliers, and most of the interior is fi lled with rich wood and iron. Shelving is stained birch wood, and there are lots of built-in features, such as the cigar humidor. Accent walls are cypress. Floors are painted concrete, and the lush lighting, Vines says, lends "a very eclectic, cozy and warm feel, with a touch of industrial." Legacy custom- ized all its displays without using any case stacks or commercial wine racks. Eliminating clutter in its merchandising is also a major part of maintaining the store's aesthetic, Akins says. "Everything is merchandised on wooden shelves, like a department store," he adds. "We don't have cases of wine stacked throughout the store. There's no cardboard on our fl oor." Low shelving (about A TRUE LEGACY BY SARAH PROTZMAN HOWLETT Pioneering Little Rock store touts customer experience and local products.