Left to right – Senior Wine Manager John Vego , Senior Store Manager Bill Boywid , CEO Morgan Hammond , President Josh Hammond , Office Manager Patty Smith , General Manager Katherine Fultz
that represents three generations of sustained growth .
“ My grandfather built a two-lane road , my father turned it into an interstate and then my brother and I turned that into a 10−lane expressway ,” explains Morgan ’ s brother and fellow third-generation co-owner Josh .
“ My father was the one who was always saying that he wanted to have the largest liquor store in Tennessee , and he was able to achieve that because he always said ‘ yes ’ to new products ,” Josh adds .
This mentality of “ yes ” is part of the Buster ’ s legacy ( Buster repeatedly saying “ yes ” to new business opportunities ) and the company ’ s ongoing strategy .
“ It ’ s still very important that we bring vibrancy to the customer ,” Josh says . “ It ’ s easy to get stale in this industry if you keep too much old stuff out and never bring new stuff in .”
Like many beverage alcohol retail stores that have thrived across generations , Buster ’ s benefitted by riding the fine wine wave in the ‘ 80s and ‘ 90s . “ We brought firstgrowth Bordeauxs into Memphis , Tennessee ,” Josh recalls .
Wine has since slowed down nationally , but other categories have ticked up to pick up the slack . Craft beer trended before the Covid−19 pandemic , followed by the American whiskey boom and now craft cocktails , tequila and cannabis beverages .
Whatever category captures consumer attention , Buster ’ s stands ready to capitalize . “ My father was a big believer in checking competitors ’ prices and working with distributors ,” Josh says . “ We look at the distributors as our partners . We don ’ t want to nickel and dime them . We say , ‘ Let ’ s create good deals together ’.”
“ That plays into what we have to do as a business ,” he adds . “ We give the customer what they want . We ’ re more invested in the long-term customer than the short-term sale .”
Buster ' s checkout registers are arranged like a concierge desk , in a U-shape .
This perspective extends into how employees are taught to act .
“ We train our employees , ‘ Always be gracious ’, and treat others how you want to be treated when you show up here ,” Josh continues . “ It helps lower the temperature every day here . It ’ s not like we ’ re saving lives every day like doctors , so let ’ s get to reality .”
The Hammonds point to their staff and a big reason why the business has thrived .
“ Big part of our continued success is undoubtedly attributed to our incredible staff , management team and ‘ top brass ’ who have been with us for decades ,” Josh says . “ And this especially rings true when you think about all the ‘ big rocks ’ we ’ ve moved over the last decade with embracing change to include wine in grocery stores , Covid challenges , opening up two new business locations , online sales , technology aspects and human resources needs to name a few . Our folks truly get the job done .”
BUSTER ’ S EAST
In February of last year , Buster ’ s opened a new , 18,000−square-foot store on Poplar Ave , about six miles east from their current location . www . beveragedynamics . com Spring 2025 • Beverage Dynamics 11