Interview with Store Owner

Old Liquors was established in 1968 in the District of Columbia and serves the communities of Shaw, Mt Vernon, and Chinatown as well as providing service for most of the surrounding hotels in SW and NW DC. At the present time there are four full time employees, three part time employees, and more than fifteen active distributors.

Ron Clark took control over Old Liquors five years ago after serving ten years as an assistant manager. Only after his taking over the role of owner did business begin to thrive. For example, sales increased 10% in his first three years of ownership and then an impressive 25% just this past year in 2006. There are many attributing factors for his outstanding success which he thoroughly explained to me in our interview. According to Clark, after much consideration of the potential risks of managing a business, he came to the conclusion that the profits would surpass the losses, and he confidently proceeded forward in this exciting yet risky endeavor.

As a loyal customer myself, I immediately recognized that Old Liquors is not your typical liquor store in Washington DC. Considering the store location, one of the most important issues in running a business, Clark’s main concern was safety. To keep out the “unwanted crowd” Clark refuses to sell certain items such as single bottles of beer, forty ounce bottles of beer, and inexpensive cigars. According to Clark, those three items that are commonly found in most liquor stores are prohibited from Old Liquors for the fear of attracting the wrong crowd. Inexpensive cigars such as Dutch Masters, Philly Blunts and White Owls are more than likely being bought for such illegal activities like smoking marijuana. In addition, if customers have the option of purchasing one single beer then the chances of that person sitting outside and drinking that beer are higher than if they had bought a twelve pack of beer. It takes much more time to drink twelve beers than it does one, and by that time authorities will have been well on their way to assist in having that person removed from the premise. There are plenty of other reasons why his business is set apart from others which he will get into in the latter half of the interview.

Clark remains a busy man as his business grows more rapidly every day. There has been a considerable increase in demand seeing as the surrounding community continues to improve and population keeps on growing. Old Liquors is conveniently located directly across the street from the new and improved Washington DC Convention Center. With the building of the new convention center Clark says the neighborhood has seen more residential and commercial growth than ever before. Thus, Old Liquors' customer base has increased significantly and continues to do so. Furthermore, coping with the rising consumer demand requires much work on Clark's part. He believes that keeping up with the times, staying abreast on technology, constant networking, and standing apart from the common liquor store persona has much to do with his business getting by and staying on top, but without a doubt his number one concern are his customers. “The most important factor in keeping a business running properly is listening to your customers. Without customers, you have nothing.” says Clark. He could not have stressed that point enough.

Ron takes pride in his business but it seems he takes even more pride in his customers. Since Mr. Clark is such a busy man I opted to sit behind his counter and interview him while he worked through a busy Friday night shift. I tried to ask him as many questions as I could in between him greeting almost every single customer by name and him even personally completing register transactions and lotto purchases, all while one of his popular liquor tastings was being held for a trendy new liquor that has just hit the shelves. He greets everyone with a smile and a joke, no matter how corny it may be. He is a neighborhood celebrity and it is all because he works so hard at meeting the needs of his customer's. There are many ways Clark keeps in contact with his customer's and their growing needs. He attends monthly community meetings with the Blagden Ally Association as well as the A&C Association. He sends out newsletters on a weekly basis via email with the intention of notifying customers on upcoming tasting’s which happen to be top shelf wines and liquors. He takes inquiries and orders via email as well. There are weekly Monday Morning Trivia emails that only his “special” customer's receive and I have the honor of being on that list and I must say I do enjoy these sometimes comical trivia questions. Old Liquors truly stands apart from other liquor stores in the area.

In order to keep himself updated on new wines and liquors