Downtown Spirits
Our purchase of Esquin is part of Downtown Spirits ’ commitment to connecting customers with an expansive range of fine wines and the most knowledgeable sales team in the region .
– Marques Warren , Owner of Downtown Spirits
Operating at 2700 4th Ave S , Esquin is 15,000 square feet .
looking at our KPIs and metrics . I ’ m looking at data , week in and week out .”
EXPANDING BUSINESS At the same time that Warren was relocating Downtown Spirits and implementing Amazon technology — quite the undertaking already — another opportunity materialized .
“ As the Amazon deal and site selection was playing out , I got a call from the owner of Esquin Wine & Spirits , the oldest independent wine retailer in Washington ,” Warren says . “ I was shocked because I didn ’ t even know the owner .”
But the owner , Chuck LeFevre , had heard of Warren . He was well aware of Warren ’ s reputation as a first-class , progressive retailer . That ’ s why LeFevre and his daughters , when considering selling their family business , had identified Warren as an ideal buyer .
“ He asked if I was interested ,” Warren says . “ I said , ‘ Yeah , but I ’ m busy right now with a lot of things ’.”
Around nine months later , Warren signed a letter of intent to purchase Esquin , which is located about 12-15 minutes from the new Downtown Spirits location . In early January , Warren officially took over Esquin , which has been in business since 1969 .
Operating at 2700 4th Ave S , Esquin is 15,000 square feet . This includes a wine mini-storage business , of which Warren now owns 40 %. Esquin boasts a 5,400-selection of wine SKUs ( including many Washington wines ) and 1,200 spirits .
“ It has been a great experience . It was my first time acquiring a company ,” Warren says . “ Chuck is a very principled businessman . We resolved our differences amicably . We both want to see the Esquin brand grow and survive .”
“ The team members I inherited were surprised that I had growth plans for Esquin ,” he adds . “ They thought I would just rebrand it as Downtown Spirits .”
Instead , Warren understood that the Esquin brand is “ institutional knowledge ” of the wine industry . So much so that he set up an Esquin-branded area inside Downtown Spirits for wine sales .
This is undoubtedly what LeFevre had in mind when he selected Warren as the optimal buyer for his fine wine-focused business .
“ Marques is a forward-thinking retail leader and we are excited to have the future of Esquin under his stewardship ,” says LeFevre , in a press release . “ Wine is an important industry in our state : providing jobs in agriculture and trade , as well as serving as a vital part of the restaurant and hospitality industries . . . Wine and alcohol have become serious revenue generators for Washington , which is currently the second largest wine producing state in the country . I ’ m proud that my company has generated millions of dollars for the state through our business .”
Warren did recently refresh the Esquin brand appearance , going with an art deco look that reflects similar branding at Downtown Spirits . ( The new Downtown Spirits location is in a 1930s art deco building . When moving in , Warren discovered original terrazzo-style flooring . He decided to retain that floor , polishing it up , rather than pouring down concrete , which was the original plan .)
“ A lot of things align between the two brands ,” Warren says . “ Esquin is a very well-run company , with lots of professionals who we are happy to now have under our employ .”
The purchase also included MadWine . com , a shipping-centric wine website .
“ Chuck purchased it in 2005 ,” Warren explains . “ It does a lot of shipping , predominantly in the state of Washington . It provides in-store pickup and local delivery . I ’ m planning on transitioning it from Shopify onto City Hive .”
10 Beverage Dynamics • July 2023 www . beveragedynamics . com