Growth & Family at
CHILLY ’ S
Sometimes you just want a bigger sign . Steve Coram , founder and owner of Chilly ' s
Discount Liquor in Greenfield , IN , was not pleased with the smaller size of his sign out front in the strip mall where his business operates .
“ People would tell me that they drove past the store by accident ,” he recalls with a laugh .
Larger signage was a motivating factor to ask his landlord about expanding Chilly ' s , then 4,500 square feet , into the space next door . In 2022 , Coram did just that , growing his beverage alcohol retail location into 12,000 total square feet .
It ’ s an impressive trajectory for a shop that opened in 1996 in the same lot in a 1,500−sqaure-foot spot . Chilly ’ s moved across the lot in 2017 and then nearly tripled its size two years ago . How does Coram fill all that space ?
Two separate tasting bars have helped , and he made more room for shopping carts . “ It used to be a tight space ,”
by KYLE
Coram remembers . Looking to help fill out the enlarged
SWARTZ space , he fondly recalled trips to a Brookstone store in a mall . “ So I got a massage chair into the store ,” he says .
This has proven popular for customers , as has Chilly ’ s putting green and basketball shooting game . Further enticing customers to enter the newly expanded side of the store , Coram moved the store ’ s massive whiskey section over there .
Wisely , Coram has kept the two different addresses for the combined space , with an eye towards future retail opportunities . “ I did it in case I want to start a cannabis store ,” he explains . Recreational marijuana remains illegal in Indiana , but Coram keeps an eye on proposed legislation . Any law passed will assuredly require separate addresses / locations for liquor and cannabis licenses .
The current retail space includes a garage door and load-
10 Beverage Dynamics • Winter 2024 www . beveragedynamics . com