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 ...