RIVER MARKET WINE & SPIRITS.
Owner: Gus ShusterAddress: 121 E. Markham Street, Little Rock, 72201
Phone: (501) 376-9463
Hours: 9:30 a.m.-9 p.m. MondayThursday, 9:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday.
Start Up: June 2
Gus Shuster wanted to open a liquor store.
So he talked to his boss, Kevin Case at Pleasant Valley Liquor in Little Rock, about it and received some good advice.
"He suggested putting one in the River Market," Shuster said. "There's not a real liquor store down here, and with the Block 2 loft apartment development, the hotels and all the other development slated for this area, there just wasn't anywhere for people and businesses to go for an upscale liquor store that specializes in wines and champagnes."
Shuster sells import and domestic beer, wine, hard liquor and other spirits at his 1,200-SF store, which had a start-up cost of about $100,000. This year, he said the store should do about $300,000 in revenue.
"I'm looking for business from the apartments, businesses, conventions, the River Market, hotels, the Quapaw Quarter and convention-goers," Shuster said.
With the nearest full-service package store near Interstate 630, Shuster said he is already drawing from the hotels, the Quapaw Quarter and the nearby apartments.
"I'm starting to do some advertising in hotel room guest guides and in various other local media," he said. "Once people know I'm down here, that's when the business will pick up. Six months from now if it ain't doing it, I'm not giving up. I know it will happen down here."
Shuster works in the store full-time while his brother, Ralph, works part-time. After one year in business, Gus Shuster hopes to have one more part-time employee.
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| Title Annotation: | owned by Gus Shuster |
|---|---|
| Comment: | RIVER MARKET WINE & SPIRITS.(owned by Gus Shuster) |
| Author: | O'REILLY, BRENDAN |
| Publication: | Arkansas Business |
| Article Type: | Brief Article |
| Geographic Code: | 1USA |
| Date: | Jun 11, 2001 |
| Words: | 285 |
| Previous Article: | CAFE LATTE. |
| Next Article: | HOT JAVA STUDIO. |
| Topics: | |