Willow Glen Resident
News
Willow Glen community sees BevMo! as a plus for downtown
By Mayra Flores De Marcotte
Tenacity and adaptability has paid off for BevMo! co-founder Steve McLaren and his newest location in downtown Willow Glen.
"The store is exceeding our plans," McLaren said. "Customer comments have been fabulous, and some have even come in apologizing for all the trouble."
Although the store opened Nov. 10, getting there was not a simple task. From the moment signs appeared announcing the possible addition to Lincoln Avenue, residents' reactions were split.
Concerns ranging from fear of a large chain moving onto Lincoln Avenue to too many liquor permits threatened the business before it ever opened.
"It's a tough strip," McLaren said. "You have to be flexible to appease most people."
McLaren was able to work it out and open the business in the former Barbarella space on Lincoln Avenue, next to Subway restaurant.
McLaren asked the city for two permits: a public-drinking establishment (a wine- and beer-tasting area) permit and an off-site sales of alcohol permit. McLaren said unless the city approved both permits, he would not move into Willow Glen.
The San Jose City Council unanimously approved the two conditional use permits on June 13.
"When you work through processes, like in our case, there's a good story to tell in the end," McLaren said. "That storefront will not be empty in my lifetime."
With the input received at various community meetings, former San Jose District 6 Councilman Ken Yeager drafted a memo outlining the conditions that would make the new store's proposal feasible. The proposal included the percentage of alcohol sold, percentage of "& More" items, such as cheeses, glassware and food for sale, store hours, shopping cart management, and beer- and wine- tasting hours.
McLaren made major changes to his business plan, demonstrating his commitment to the project and the community.
The store's floor plan includes more drinking accessories and food items and a smaller amount of square footage dedicated to alcohol sales. Store hours were also changed in order to be more compatible with the rest of downtown Willow Glen.
Lastly, the beer- and wine- tasting area in the store was limited to 74 square feet, and tastings are limited to two hours on Fridays and six hours on Saturdays. Twelve additional special-event tastings throughout the year are permitted.
"This new model is absolutely working, even better than we expected," McLaren said. "We are using this as a model for different communities in the future."
McLaren's interest in moving into downtown Willow Glen came during a time of change. Other businesses were also eyeing or relocating into the area, including Footwear Etc.'s outlet store, which opened at the former Willow Glen Runners Supply site, which changed its name to Urban Sports and relocated to the former Twins site; and Tyson Interiors, which moved into the Garden Theater.
"The avenue is undergoing a rejuvenation," McLaren said. "As people come in to do business with us, we feel we are contributing to that rejuvenation."
According to McLaren, 4,400 customers who live in Willow Glen were shopping at a neighboring BevMo!.
The new store is a boutique-version of its large warehouse-style locations that McLaren said would be a better fit in the neighborhood.
His gamble paid off.
"The biggest thing for us is that the community has embraced the new store," McLaren said. "They are still shopping with us, just now they are shopping in their community."
