(Credit: Gordon Woodworth, 2022)
Zack Moore, left, and Andrew Meader opened their store, Lake George Wine Outlet, in January. The retail space in the Outlet mall near the Log Jam is doing well, they say.
Whiskey may be 80 proof, but alcohol in general is “Amazon-proof.” That’s the theory, anyway, behind the new Lake George Wine Outlet in the Million Dollar Half Mile on Route 9 in Queensbury. This latest addition to the Log Jam Outlets celebrated its grand opening with an Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting Feb. 15. The new store occupies the former DKNY space in the outlet mall's building owned by Ed Moore.
Ed’s son, Zack Moore, owns the new business and Andrew Meader is store manager.
Meader also owns the marketing firm 8 of Eight Strategies and has been working with the Moores promoting their portions of the outlets. (Sections of the long strip of retail buildings on Route 9 are owned by different companies.)
Zack and Meader got to know each other through that work.
“This is something we’ve talked about for years,” Meader told FoothillsBusinessDaily.com.
Meader said they were looking for a business that would cater to both locals and vacationers, and cannot be replaced easily by online shopping.
“We thought this would work,” he said. It’s “Amazon-proof.”
Moore added, “We had some vacancies in our plazas, and we thought, let’s add something that people want.”
The liquor store is the latest in that expansion: The Candy Space and Coastal occupy storefronts in the French Mountain Commons section of the strip, and a Sperry’s will open there in the spring, Zack Moore said.
“We thought about some innovative ideas and then Andrew suggested a wine and liquor store, and I said, ‘Let’s do it!’”
Meader said the store opened Jan. 14, and business has been steadily growing since then. Through social media exposure, their sales doubled from the first week to the second, and it’s been a steady climb since, they said.
“We have Kendall Jackson and Yellowtail and other popular wines, but when people are on vacation, they want to try something new,” he said, “so we have a 90+ rated wall with highly rated wines, and we have a nice selection of bourbon, which is crazy hot right now.”
He said he is starting a bourbon club where members can win a chance to purchase limited-edition bottles.
The store carries spirits from Springbrook Hollow Farm Distillery in Queensbury and High Peaks Distilling in Lake George.
“We’re very excited to carry local lines,” he said. “I’m very optimistic about the future. I’ve got a great team here.”
The soft opening in January gave Meader a chance to figure out “what our customers want to buy. We have great reps from the spirits companies who have been so patient and spent a lot of time with me, suggesting things to offer.”
Assistant store manager Lauren Cutter said she has been selling bottles to lots of Fort Ann people.
“A lot of folks tell me they live on Route 149 and they are happy to have us here,” she said. “We’re also getting people from the Log Jam.”
As if on cue, three middle-aged women, tourists to the area, came in. They said they were from the Bronx and were renting a cabin in Lake Luzerne. They planned to have dinner at the Log Jam that night, after visiting the Ice Castles in Lake George.
Taking a tip from Amazon, perhaps, Moore said hours would be extended during the summer months, and the store will deliver.