The Barstool Fund - Hoboken Beer & Soda Outlet
Up next: Hoboken Beer & Soda Outlet (Hoboken, NJ)
Hoboken’s only drive-through beer store has been family owned and operated since 1975. Today it provides both the general public and local businesses throughout the area with a large variety of brand name sodas, beers, waters and juices at warehouse prices.
Advertisement
Reader Email
Hi Dave and the Barstool Fund Team,
Thank you to you and your team for your incredible generosity in helping small businesses that need it most. I am hopeful that the Barstool Fund is truly able to make a difference in the lives of many deserving people.
My parents run a drive through beer store in Hoboken, NJ, called Hoboken Beer & Soda Outlet. It is basically a cross between a regular liquor store and a Costco – you can drive your car through the building and they load it up with all of the beer, soda, and water you could dream of. The company is a small business with 9 employees that has been slinging kegs in Hoboken for the last 45 years (since 1975!). This is the only job my dad has ever had (he’s never even had a job interview), so this business really does mean everything to my family.
Most liquor stores have experienced record sales this year as people drank their way through the pandemic, but unfortunately that was not the case for HBSO. Although the drive through is open to regular customers, more than 80% of the business is generated through delivery sales to bars and restaurants in the greater Hoboken area. Thus, COVID unfortunately has had a significantly negative impact on the business given that bars and restaurants were shut down until July (the store is also the size of a small warehouse, so there are much more overhead costs relative to a typical liquor store). While my parents had to close their doors for a few weeks in March/April, they have maintained their employees on payroll and kept the business running for most of the year by cutting as much cost as they could elsewhere, including barely taking salary for themselves. They were able to get by in the summer and fall which are always their busiest seasons, however January through March have historically been their slowest months in the past (usually down 60% from the summer months). With indoor dining in danger of being banned again in New Jersey, I fear that their business may be on the ropes again and may need to close for an extended period of time since their volume will drop severely.
Advertisement
I am reaching out to the Barstool Fund to help Hoboken Beer & Soda Outlet because I know that my parents would never ask for the help they need on their own. They have been supporting so many people in Hoboken for the last 45 years and have never asked for anything in return. We have put in tremendous effort over the last 9 months to continue servicing all of our customers' needs by creating an e-commerce platform. By doing so, we were hoping to expand our customer base outside of bars and restaurants, allowing customers to order online for home delivery straight to their door.
In what has been a crazy year, this is truly the first time that my parents need help and such assistance would go a long way in getting to the other side of this pandemic. They are going to continue to keep their employees on payroll but could really use assistance covering overhead insurance costs of the business (liability, auto, workers’ comp, etc.), which total about $5,350 per month. I cannot express how much of a relief receiving some funding would be for them.
Thank you so much for your consideration. Please let me know if there is any more information that I can provide that would be helpful.
Joey Mignoli