Follow Your Passion
Brian And Sue Flanery Had Always Loved Wines, So They Opened A Liquor Store Specializing In Wines. Seven Years Later They Have Two Wine Stores, And Business Just Keeps Growing. Brian Is This Year's Kansas Retailer Of The Year.
(May 15, 2008) A wise person once said: " Do something you love and you'll never work a day I your life." That's how Brian and Sue Flanery got into the wine business six years ago. And that's largely how Brian comes to be this year's Kansas Off-Premise Retailer of the Year.
The Flanery's opened Top Cellars in Olathe in August 2001 - just 14 days before the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Brian was, and still is, in health care sales but the couple was looking for some other kind of business opportunity. They'd always loved wines, so when the store came up for sale they - along with their business partners Jay and Cindy Burlingame -- decided to go for it.
"My wife and I love wine," said Flanery. "I'd always heard that anything you're passionate about you should pursue because you'll be good at it."
So with no experience in the liquor industry they opened Top Cellars. Four years later, the business had quadrupled and they had a second store. Flanery attributes much of that success to research they did before they opened and the demographics of the area.
"We looked at the population growth potential behind the store," said Flanery. It turned out the area around the store was full of younger adults, well educated with plenty of disposable income. Just the kind of people who would be interested in wine - especially if they knew a little more about it. So the Flanery's made it their business to offer great wines along with a little wine education.
"Our employees are not just clerks. You have to educate people," said Flanery. "People want to come in and read. I continue to see shelf talkers as a very important part of our business. We're also looking at putting in kiosks in our stores."
Where do the Top Cellars employees get all this knowledge they're passing on? They read. They try wines for themselves. And they count on sales reps for information.
"One of our biggest enjoyments has been working with Ross (Schimmels of Standard Beverage) and the sales reps," said Flanery. "Our vendor reps are our partners. We depend on the reps - they educate us."
Just a year and a half after they bought Top Cellars, the Flanery's added another 2000 square feet to the store - all for wine. With the extra space they could offer a wide selection of wines from all over the world. When they opened the second store - Top Cellars Two - they went the opposite direction. It's a small store featuring only the top selling wines from Top Cellars. It's a concept that Flanery believes has a place in today's business environment.
"Consumers can become confused with too many choices," said Flanery. "I think consumers have so many choices they seek consultation and wine recommendations."
What's ahead for Top Cellars and for the industry in general? Flanery predicts that the themes that have made his business successful today will become even more important as time goes by. The population around his store is a little older than they were when the store opened - and that's a good thing.
"The average age (of our customers) is 30 to 40," said Flanery. "They've matured. Their palates have matured."
They also know a bit more about wine, so they expect more from Top Cellars employees than they used to. That's a trend Flanery sees continuing.
"You have better educated consumers. So retailers have to be more knowledgeable about the brands they sell," said Flanery.
It all suggests that the Flanery's passion for wines will serve them well into the future.