Top 100 Retailers

BY KYLE SWARTZ

Founder and Owner Mark O ' Callaghan has been in the alcohol industry since 1989 , when he was a bartender in his early 20s . “ A Budweiser manager told me that I have the gift for gab , so how ’ d I like to work selling Bud ?” O ' Callaghan recalls .“ What young kid isn ’ t going to like that ?”

Three years at a Budweiser distributor on Staten Island led to an opportunity with a Gallo distributor in upstate New York .

“ My wife had friends in Albany , so we ended up settling there , thinking it would be a few years , in and out ,” O ' Callaghan remembers . “ We moved in the winter . It was horrible . So much snow ! But then summer came around and it ’ s so beautiful up here that time of the year , and we knew we ’ d be pitching our tent here .”

O ' Callaghan rose up the Gallo ranks , training salespeople and traveling to stores nationwide . In his local Albany region , he noticed a need . Liquor stores were either boutique but lacking selection , or large but lacking customer service . “ We did not have the big , all-for-one store ,” he says . After getting his financing in order , O ' Callaghan applied for his liquor license . This was supposed to be officialized through New York government channels on Sept . 12 , 2001 . Due to the national tragedy that rocked the world the day before , Exit 9 Liquors delayed opening until Dec . 1 of that year .

“ We were successful right off the bat ,” O ' Callaghan says . “ By 2002 , we were the largest-volume store in the district .”

That original location was 10,000 square feet . Within four years , Exit 9 needed a larger layout , and moved into a spot three times the size . The Great Recession arrived four years after , taking out a large retail chain nearby , emptying a 37,000-square-foot store . To fill this enormous space , Exit 9 ’ s landlord gave O ' Callaghan a great deal on where the Top 100 retailer now calls home .

Walk into Exit 9 , and you will notice several unique aspects immediately . This includes the sheer size , coupled with an impressive orderliness and cleanliness .

“ For the layout , I have to tip my hat to Gallo ,” O ' Callaghan says . “ All my years there , setting shelves and merchandising , all the training I received and then gave to others .”

“ As for the cleanliness , that ’ s a huge investment ,” he adds . “ Once a year we have the floors completely redone . We give them a good buff every other week . And the staff started a tradition during the slower month of January of cleaning every single shelf .”

Another noteworthy characteristic of Exit 9 is the baby grand piano out on the floor .

“ When we first opened , I had $ 400,000 in merchandise for a 10,000 square-footstore ,” O ' Callaghan remembers . “ I thought , ‘ How am I going to make this store look full ?’ I was walking around a mall and saw a piano on display , advertising a store in the mall . I asked the store owner whether he would want to have a similar advertising display in my store , with wine all around it . He said yes , and that display helped him sell six pianos . So many people , especially kids , when they come into our store , they want to see the piano .”

O ' Callaghan has since purchased the instrument outright .

The business boasts a 40-person classroom that sees frequent use . In addition to regular tastings from outside vendors , Exit 9 employees host classes once or twice a month throughout the year . “ These are always full ,” O ' Callaghan says . “ It helps set us apart .”

Perhaps most noticeable about Exit 9 is the engaged , friendly , helpful staff .

“ From day one , we were the only one in our market with matching uniforms ,” O ' Callaghan says . “ It ’ s a big place , but it ’ s always easy to find someone wearing a green Exit 9 uniform . That ’ s the number one comment I get from customers : how much they like our staff .”

“ We have such great staff ,” he adds . “ It ’ s a lot of family . I have a son and two sons-in-law who work for me . So does my brother-in-law and my nephew . Nearly every niece and nephew of mine has worked here at some point . Who knows ? My oldest grandson , he ’ s turning twelve years old . Six more years , maybe he ’ ll be working here too .”

www . beveragedynamics . com June 2023 • Beverage Dynamics 13