Those Gimbels Guys
This
is just some of the history belonging to Gimbel’s Liquors in
Brookline’s Washington Square, presently celebrating its
4OTH anniversary.
Longevity in the
retail business is no easy task to accomplish. Few stores
survive ten years, let alone forty but Gimbel’s has stood
the test of time even as neighboring businesses have come
and gone and the neighborhood has evolved. In addition to
commemorating its 4Oth anniversary as Gimbel’s, the store’s
license has the distinction of being the very first in
Brookline, dating back to the end of Prohibition. Owned by a
man named Hymie Goldfarb, the store was originally called
Russell’s Liquors. Hymie was a local semi-professional boxer
from the West End with the ring name Kid Russell. After
Prohibition was repealed he purchased the town’s first
liquor license and named the store after his alter ego.
Hymie ran Russell’s for over thirty years until 1965 when he
sold it to Steve Berenson who changed its name to Gimbel’s
Liquors.
DOES
MACY’S TELL GIMBEL’S?
So what, exactly, is a Gimbel? I must confess to having
Googled it several times with no success. Though I came
across the word referencing a department store, I made no
connection until Steve Berenson clarified it for me. The
original Gimbel’s was indeed a department store founded by
the Gimbel brothers back in 1894. During the early twentieth
century there was a famous rivalry between the Macy’s and
Gimbel’s department stores in New York City. The saying,
“Does Macy’s tell Gimbel’s?” stems from the legendary
competition between the stores that sat directly across the
street from each other and means: Does one store share its
business secrets with its competitors? The phrase became
quite popular during the 3Os and is still sometimes used
today. When Steve got into the liquor store business during
the early sixties he had a friend who owned Macy’s Liquors.
Steve chose Gimbel’s as the name of his business, creating a
friendly local rivalry. Both Macy’s and Gimbel’s liquor
stores are still in existence today though the Gimbel’s
department store folded in 1987.
PASSING
the BATON For 37
years Steve ran Gimbel’s Liquors, specializing in wines and
building an expansive and loyal clientele. Then a few years
ago, two Russian men, Lenny Kan and Alex Oks, approached him
with an offer to buy Gimbel’s. The store, however, was not
for sale and Steve wasn’t particularly interested in
selling. He had had plenty of offers over the years but not
one that was able to sway him. But persistence, and the
right offer, finally won him over. Still, Steve didn’t
simply sign the papers and hand over the keys to the store
he had run for almost 4 decades. He actually stayed on
behind the scenes and trained Lenny and Alex for about 6
months, showing them the ropes of the business and helping
them to establish ties with vendors and customers. After
their “apprenticeship” was complete, Steve went into
retirement.for a total of six days. Restless and bored
without a job he quickly got into new career: the mortgage
business, an endeavor he is quite enthusiastic about. And of
the business he ran for so long he says, “I miss my
customers, but not those hours!”
NEW
CHALLENGES As Steve
pointed out, owning a liquor store is more than just a full
time job; it really is a 7-day-a-week commitment. To many
people the very prospect might be daunting but for these two
immigrants, buying Gimbel’s was a dream come true. This was
something they had both always wanted to do and they set
their minds to succeeding at it. And even though they had
never owned a liquor store before, it wasn’t as if they
completely in the dark as to running a business. In the US
since 1979, Lenny is a former piano player who owned a
fast-food restaurant near Northeastern University. Alex’s
background in Russia is in the medical field but he worked
in a liquor store here in America. They both had some of the
fundamental tools but were nonetheless fortunate to have
Steve stay on board to see them through the
beginning.
In addition to
the tutelage of Steve, Alex and Lenny inherited the store’s
Wine Director, George Hark. George jokes that he actually
came with the store as part of the deal. According to owners
old and new, he is an integral part of the store’s success,
managing the wine department, specializing in functions and
events and teaching wine classes at nearby Dalia’s Bistro
and Wine Bar. Priced at an average $25 per person, the
classes are quite popular, particularly with local graduate
students who want to learn more about wine. George also has
a call list of regular customers and often phones them when
there are great deals or new wines he thinks they might
like.
BEYOND
the SALE Although
Lenny and Alex were novices in the beginning, they immersed
themselves in learning the business and quickly developed
strict standards when it comes to what they carry. Just
because Robert Parker or Wine Spectator says something is
great doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll find it at Gimbel’s. A
product doesn’t make it onto their shelves unless they have
tasted and approved it. In fact, they pride themselves on
having a reputation for being tough to sell to. Tom Kelly,
the Vice President for Key Accounts with United Liquors,
comments, “Yes, they are picky but once they like something
they will take it on. They don’t want anything marginal,
just A-1 quality.” Lenny says that big name brands don’t
matter at all if the product is inferior. He will readily
carry an inexpensive, little-known brand if it tastes better
than its high priced big-name competition. George echoes the
sentiment, saying, “We don’t necessarily buy what Robert
Parker says is good. We’re not interested in just making
money on a sale, we want to build trust so that people come
back. You’re only as good as your customers.” Following in
Steve’s footsteps, Lenny and Alex have continued to focus on
wine though the store also carries a diverse selection of
spirits and beer including a wide array of Russian and
Kosher products. Tom says that they are very good at
bringing in esoteric, hard to find products for customers.
He also notes that they have really overcome the hurdles of
a language barrier, which can be a substantial obstacle,
particularly when dealing one-on-one with as many customers
as they do. For Lenny and Alex, the personal element of
being in a store and tasting wine is vital and they host
tastings several nights a week. They say: “Some people want
to read books about wines. We tell them to throw the books
away. You may learn a bit of history and geography through a
book but no matter how good it is, you can never taste a
description.”
NEIGHBORHOOD
TIES Even though
Gimbel’s was a well-established and popular neighborhood
liquor store, there was still a chance that the transition
would not be successful. When a business changes hands it
can often mean a quick downfall for any number of reasons.
Sometimes customers feel betrayed by the change or the
owners have different ideas as to what direction they want
the business to go in. Gimbel’s has not only survived the
changeover, it has thrived. For Alex and Lenny keeping those
ties with the existing client base while creating new
relationships is paramount. Under their ownership the store
has continued to prosper as they have worked hard to cater
to the neighborhood business. Since taking over Gimbel’s the
two men have devoted themselves 1OO% to learning about the
business as well as the industry, establishing neighborhood
connections and becoming involved with the community. This
June the store was given Honorable Mention in the Brookline
Tab’s People’s Choice Awards. Their chosen charity is the
Jimmy Fund and they have been donating to it regularly since
taking over the store. Tom Kelly comments, “These guys have
really added to the community. They’ve bridged the gap
between keeping the existing customers and reaching out to
new patrons.” Today the store caters to a diverse group of
customers, including transient graduate students, older
neighborhood residents and a substantial Russian
clientele.
Ultimately, you
need to have more than great specials on wine to stay in
business for forty years. According to Steve Berenson,
networking, adapting to change and knowing the wants of the
consumer are all vital keys to the long-term success of
Gimbel’s. Being busy in the scene and networking at every
chance brings in more than just walk-in business. Over the
years Steve expanded to doing special deliveries and
functions. Forty years is the equivalent of two generations
and that’s a lot of weddings and bar mitzvahs. Steve also
comments that when Brookline’s rent control was abolished,
it completely changed many of the area neighborhoods.
Suddenly there was a new clientele that had different tastes
so he worked to find out what those were and catered to
them. Today, the new owners are endeavoring to continue on
with these tactics.
Gimbel’s is much
more than just a store; it is a neighborhood fixture, a
place where the customers know the owners and staff. And in
turn, the owners make every effort to discover the likes and
preferences of the patrons. By all appearances, things are
on track for Lenny and Alex to enjoy 4O more years of
success with Gimbel’s
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