Penny Knapman

PENNY
KNAPMAN • 64
• Owner/Buyer • The Epicure, Chatham, MA

MOTHER
of INVENTION My
background’s not wine and spirits, but sportswear retail,
for Filene’s in Boston. On the Cape, I managed a country
club and sold real estate, until a lawyer asked if I’d like
running a liquor store. Initially I said, ‘No!’ – but I’ve
come a long way in 15 years. I’ve been pretty much on my own
since 2OO3, when I bought out my [business partner]
Bruce Cole [today Dreyfus-Ashby’s Northeast rep].
Bruce is detail-oriented (I’m not) and the landlords upped
the lease.

ALL in
the HEAD We have a
large inventory all in our heads. We’ve never computerized
or bar-coded. Eric Hartell just retired after nine years but
still comes in Tuesdays and knows our inventory cold. With
his amazing memory, he’s managed our stockroom beautifully.
Eric tells me in a trice: 75O wine SKUs, strong on Pinot
Noir – 32 from the US and 3O from France; 37 Champagne and
Sparkling labels; reds from California, Bordeaux, Spain, and
Italy, as well as a large display of ports and dessert
wines. Spirit leaders: 48 Scotches and Single Malts and 65
vodkas. About 5O beers in the walk-in.

SURFING
the WAVES The
seasonal peaks are summer (when school’s out thrrough
mid-September), then decreasing peaks around Columbus Day,
Thanksgiving, The Holidays. Chatham’s a beautiful place in
the winter, so there’s weekend trade year ’round, but it’s
slow. Some retailers vacation in March, though there can be
ripples around Easter and Memorial Day.

NO
SALES I don’t
market; I’ve never done sales. We give 20% off on cases, and
that big zinc bucket’s for bin ends and closeouts. I don’t
change my prices seasonally. I tried advertising, but it
didn’t work. You have to advertise all the time, and then
you’re competing with discounters. I don’t try to compete
with the chains, with their 50-case drops. In the center of
town, people just drop by. I have my solid clientele; people
know I’m here.

PINOT
EVIL We’ve had deep
Pinot Noir shelves for years, since long before Sideways;
our customers know them. Some of the favorites: Acacia, ZD,
Oyster Bay, and a new Limoux, Domaine Brunet, is
cool-climate and nice. Lighter reds, like Rhone blends, are
doing well; Steven Vincent’s Crimson is a best seller
here.

HOT
PROPERTIES Spain is
on fire these days: people are getting wise of Tempranillo
and juicy Grenache. Italy is always on the rise: people are
vacationing there, and the wines just get better and better.
Not so much French wine these days: at first it was a
political statement, but then the other European Union
nations have just trumped them. So while France is say,
stable, Portugal and Argentina are on the rise. And, again,
higher end in general.

HOT
VODDY I’ve got 6O
vodkas, because everyone’s buying all of these flavors.
They’re coming in with recipes and lists of this and that. I
think it’s just a cyclical trend, one we’re on top of, both
through Boston and New York customers coming in and salesmen
making us aware of what’s coming out. It started last year,
and now cocktails using flavored vodkas are going crazy.
Gray Goose, of course, but this new one is moving – Zyr. Hot
gins are Hendricks, Miller’s and Van Gogh’s with their
fabulous flavors (double espresso, chocolate). Patron
outsells all other tequilas.

HOT
WHITES People are
discovering Pinot Grigio, and we have the full array
[over a dozen, from Cavit to Felluga, Lageder, etc.]
Sauvignon Blanc – so great with our local fish and shellfish
– is cutting into Chardonnay, but again, it’s New Zealand
over Loire, California over Bordeaux Blanc. Those lively
whites from Portugal and Spain – Basa, Rueda, Albarino – are
catching on. As people travel more, they look for wines from
countries where they’ve been, or when hosting
visitors.

LOCAL
BREW We push our
local beers: Buzzard’s Bay, Whale Tale (Nantucket, very big
here!), Ipswich Ale, and Smuttynose mix-pak.

BEYOND
BOTTLES Tina
handles the register and takes care of gifty items and
knicky-knacks – wine bags, bottle stoppers, corkscrews, and
fun things. That makes us more than just a liquor store, and
gives [non-beverage buyers] something to browse over
when they come in. Chatham Pottery, four miles away on a
back road, consigns their [handsome blue and beige]
pottery in our [second] display window. They came to
me years ago; it’s a good fit, because, as you know, you
can’t put wine and spirits in a sunny window. So, sure, a
good chance for both of us.

SHARING
SPACES If I need a
case, I buy a case. I won’t take the savings on a five case
drop because my storage is limited and I don’t stack. Shelf
space is always a trade-off between this and that. On my
metal racks, I often split wines 6/6, or 4/4/4. Salesmen
know this, and don’t usually suggest drops or insist on my
buying this wine to get that wine.

HELP the
SMALL GUYS
Distributors could give small shops a discount on small
drops. I support seven suppliers (four of them big ones), so
they might give me a break. Sometimes sales people can tack
on some out-of-stock wines, so you can make your cases
without buying a lot of wines you can’t use. It’d be nice if
they supported their products in the store. I’d like my
suppliers to run more wine tastings than they do; I’d like
to have one every Saturday. They’re all busy, too, but
sometimes they’ll send out top managers [to spell]
the hustling salesmen. They certainly will support my
opening a bottle on the counter, but [laughs] I
often forget that!

CHATHAM
DINING FAVES
Dependable year ’rounders are Pisces (tiny), Buca (just over
the Harwich line), and around the corner is Number One – The
Impudent Oyster. Last night there we had Mietz Cellars
(Sonoma Coast) Pinot Noir with three different entrees –
sole, cod and a beef dish. Chateau Gruaud-Larose (St.
Julien) or a solid Cote de Nuits Villages with a good beef
tenderloin is certainly another favored dinner.

AESTHETIC
TOUCH We
consistently label spirit bottles on the cap, and wine
bottles [most displayed in steel racks] dead-center
below the front label. It’s easy, looks harmonious across
the floor, and makes a good first impression. I’m very
specific about that when training new staff. I’ve had an eye
for displays since my retail career at Filene’s. I guess
that’s what I’m told is the creative Aquarian in me coming
out. We put out a set of wooden boxes up-front with 1O
facings for wines that we’re promoting. As for display
tactics, we do display gift notions year ’round:
hand-pressed wine bottles flattened into cheese trays; wine
carriers and picnic packs; hand-panted boxes for special
bottle gifts; coasters and other wine-related beach items.
Other non-wine items are hand-carved birds and the Chatham
Pottery.

FAVORITE
PAIRINGS Spanish
white (Viura, from Muga or Protocolo) with local shellfish.
Juan Gil red – our “Spanish Silver Oak” – that goes with
most everything: cioppino, most meats. I’m hot on Spain, but
I often recommend Graves, Sancerre. Veuve Clicquot is no
doubt our best-selling Champagne, but I love Argyle (Oregon)
and Prosecco (Mionetto, Zardetto). Bubbly and oysters is
nice.

LAST
TRAVELS A few years
ago, I went on a wine trip to Spain and Portugal – Jerez de
la Frontera and Porto. I was impressed with the foods, wines
and the people. We visited many smaller producers who showed
great enthusiasm. We also visited Alsace, with a day in
Burgundy – I’d drink those wines anytime!

NEW
OWNER ADVICE If
someone opening a new store asked me, I’d tell them to be
easy-going, open and conversational with customers. Don’t
try to force anything on them. Be informative and listen;
learn from your customers (and your suppliers). Keep the
shop neat, pleasant and a fun place to be.

PHILOSOPHY
Customers tell me, “You’ve never steered me wrong!” They
think I’m smarter than I really am. I tend to do things
instinctively, without a thought. Yet I do have their trust.
I’m on the floor all the time and love the customer
interaction. I listen, and let them know that they’re
important to me. I consider my regular customers as my
friends.