Happy New Year 2016!

We would first like to count our blessings for a successful 2015 and offer our thanks to all of the Harry's patrons that helped us to get there. All year and especially in the holiday season, we are reminded that our clientele is made up of some very, very nice people. Harry's was built on customer service and a knowledgeable staff and we are reminded time and again through the course of the year that the people that come through our doors do it for just those reasons.

Even with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season when seemingly everyone's stress level is high and exhaustion has set in on our staff and customers alike, there is a genuine feeling of good will and joy in the air. People are courteous and kind and exude a real Norman Rockwell, Christmas in New England spirit.

Now that the calendar has flipped to the new year, we have some time to look back and it makes us smile to know that we are surrounded by a committed staff equaled only by the customers that come through the door. Thank you to all of the people that came in to shop with us in 2015, to share a story of their first experience so many years ago, or to introduce themselves as a new member of our community. We look forward to the changes and challenges that 2016 will bring while we reminisce about the customers that have been coming for decades along with the newer ones that we have been introduced to us in the more recent past.

We are glad to share our store with you and offer our sincere thanks for your patronage.

Cheers!

William, Patrick, Scott, and all of our staff.

Celebrating 74 Years with Pappy Van Winkle and others...

Join us Satuday October 24th from 4-7pm for a special anniversary Bourbon tasting featuring our library of single barrel selections highlighted by the already sorely missed batch #2 from Eagle Rare. Also on the tasting will be our 1st batch, also from Eagle Rare, and our current offering from Buffalo Trace. We will offer a handful of Batch #1 & #2 for purchase from our Library on a first come first serve basis (one per customer please). We have also got a couple of very special, hard to find things to taste including Pappy Van Winkle 15 year. You will have to show up if you want to see what else we are offering.

Other special American Whiskey bottlings that we have been holding for the occasion will be offered for sale this weekend to the quickest responders.

2015 Parker's Heritage Reserve
Elijah Craig 18yr
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof
E.H. Taylor Barrel Proof
E.H. Taylor Rye
E.H. Taylor Single Barrel
Westland Sherry Wood Single Malt
Wild Turkey 17yr Master's Keep
Willet 2yr Rye

Are all on the list!



Enter to win a chance to purchase one of five special bottles that we have socked away for the occasion.
Fill out your name and number and drop it in the box. October 31st we will draw a name for each bottle and the winner will have the opportunity to skip the 8 year wait list for these coveted bottles and take it home with them to add to their personal collection

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon $89.99
Pappy Van Winkle 20yr $144.99
Pappy Van Winkle 12yr $69.99
George T Stagg Jr. $59.99
Sazerak Rye 6yr $30.99


There are lots of great wine, beer and spirits on deep discount for the celebrations (Ad in The Minuteman) so take some time and save big $$ when you stop by and say hello.

-Cheers

Celebrating our Anniversary

   The weather turns crisp, the fall foliage adds color and beauty to our town and we ready ourselves for the upcoming holidays.  At Harry’s, October is also a time for us to reflect on our history as we celebrate our store’s anniversary.
October is a beautiful time of year here in Fairfield.

It has been 74 years since Harry and Betty Pollack opened their small liquor store in October 1941.  Passed to a second generation owner in the 1970’s (Saul) and now a third generation owner in 2011 (Scott and his partners William and Patrick), Harry’s has seen tremendous change through its history.  From a single storefront located alongside the Post Road, heated by a potbelly stove, the store has been relocated to our current building and expanded within that building several times.  Within the store, product offerings are constantly changing and expanding, technology has been upgraded in keeping with the times and employees have come and gone.  But through all of this change, the one thing that has stayed constant is our singular focus on providing the best value and service possible to each of our customers.

 We hope that each time you visit our store, you see that we are very proud of our store and our history and sense the importance we place on the guiding principals that we have inherited.
 As we work to put our generation’s mark on Harry’s history we continue to strive to be a leader in our industry, a wanted member of our local community and a great place to work. We value you, our customer and work hard to show our appreciation to you for your patronage. We look forward to helping you celebrate your own milestones…the birth of your next child, the graduations, weddings and retirements.

We thank you for your friendships and the help you have given us through the years in growing our little store. We look forward to each new vintage, the next great beer and trend in spirits and are thankful for an interested community that shares of passion for finding the best of what our industry offers.

Thank you for the handshakes, the stories shared and for helping us to introduce our puppies to people. We offer our appreciation for your patience with our newer staff members and the well wishes to those that graduate our store and continue their own careers.

We will have some nice tastings and events through the remainder of the month so watch our Facebook and the local newspaper for notification of the fun in store and the savings on some of the best we have to offer.

-Cheers

P.S. October is also the anniversary of my marriage to Janice who helps me to write the history of our lives both in and outside of our lives here at the store. I offer my humble thanks and my whole heart to you.
Est. October 16, 2004

Joining the celebration of a bygone era this Saturday April 18th

Join us all day Saturday April 18th as we help to celebrate "National Record Store Day"!

While it's true that we are not a record store, we have been around long enough to remember the days when they were in almost every town. Some of our staff can even remember the days when we would save our allowance or leaf raking money and go down on Saturday afternoon to flip through the display bins and pick up a new 45 or the latest album from our favorite artist.

Sadly those days are mostly only read about in the history books as mom and pop record stores were pushed out by the big box giants and then more recently iTunes and digital music downloaded via the web has become the way that we get our music.

In an ironic twist some of our kids have uncovered our old turn table and the corresponding stacks of records long ago stored in the cellar or attic. This generation seems to rediscovered and even better yet, they have fallen in with love the music that we and even their grandparents used to listen to on that dusty old memory.

As the saying goes... "What's old is new again"

In a nostalgic look back, Dogfish head brewing has produced a very limited number of these wonderfully cool portable record players and we will be spinning vinyl all day Saturday April 18th in respectful remembrance of the days gone by. Come by and celebrate the flecky, crackling and sometimes scratchy sound that only an old school record player can produce and hear some great music from its generation.

Hopefully it will inspire you to go into your boxes of long forgotten teenage memories and find your own turntable so you can plan a "family night" and share some music from your childhood with your kids. If you've let your records go at the yard sale there are a few actual "Record Stores" still in business here in Connecticut and we are sure that they would love to see you and give you the personal service that also seems to all too often also be a thing of the past.

-Cheers!

Saying Goodbye to "The Wine Tutor"

Len "The wine tutor" Gulino has been a mainstay on our staff for many years, first as an associate on our wine floor and then an instrumental part in the success of our very popular Harry's Wine School. He has brought a great deal of knowledge to our store and has left an unforgettable mark on our history.

Now, aged to perfection, it is time for him to settle into retirement and enjoy "the life at leisure" and will not have to report to anyone. We could not think of a better way to send him off than with our annual "Holiday high end class" this past Wednesday evening. It is the class where we pick some of our favorite top tier wines off our retail floor and taste them while Len expounds on the merits of each of these magical wines.

Last night Len had fun!

He was really enjoying his last class and there was a real feeling of merriment in the air as many of our most tenured students and friends joined us to send him off in style. He and Christelle picked a wonderful array of wines that had everyone in the room buzzing all night, one after the next they came to the table and each seemed to be just the right choice. At the end of the evening Len even played a little St Nick as he went into his own cellar and picked out a 1977 Dow vintage port that had aged longer than some of our guests had even been alive! Great opportunity and a fitting way to end the evening.

or so you would think...

You see, that port had a flaw, it was corked. All those years later... after all that aging and decades of care, it was never right in the first place. The cork that they had used to seal that particular bottle all those years ago was infected with TCA (2,4,6- Trichloroanisole) and was cork tainted. One more opportunity for the tutor to teach! There was no way to have known at the time that when he pulled it out for this special evening, it was going to let him down. Wine is funny like that...

We weren't going to let that ruin such a wonderful evening. Fortunately we had some Grahams 1970 vintage port in inventory so thinking quickly we opened it up and sent our friend Len (The Wine Tutor) off in style. What a special bottle and it capped a lovely evening and career for a man we all like and admire so much.

Its funny... Through the evening there were lots of people saying "aww Len, don't go" and some suggested just giving up the backroom stuff he does for us. There was a suggestion that he do the "Holiday Highend class" each year and/or to do some special appearances in the future at our "Guest Speaker Series". We like his "Wine 101" class the best and when he was asked about his plans for the future, he didn't have a concrete plan for spending his days. "Travel maybe, or some other things". Maybe that bottle he brought was sending him a message... Perhaps his plan to pack it up is a bit "flawed".

No one knows what the future holds and Len is well aware that we like having him around. We'll see...

There have been a number of people that have thrown their hat in the ring to begin teaching our classes and there is certainly a good amount of talent out there to help fill his shoes. Harry's Wine School is ready to begin its new semester in early February 2015 so keep your eyes open for the release of our upcoming classes.

As for Len...

Lets send him in to retirement with our respect and gratitude for all he has done and wish him the best. Thank you my friend.

For now however, I'm not going to clear out your desk. Lets just make sure that you are really ready.

-Cheers

A constant reminder

Each day when I walk into Harry's I am reminded of its legacy. More than 73 years have passed since Harry Pollack first opened the doors to a very small liquor shop here in Fairfield and our store today still stands on the very same plot of land that it did that day in October of 1941 when Harry and Betty first turned the key.

There have been changes over the years...

 The small house that once stood on the property which was retro fitted to be the space for the original store and was heated by a coal burning potbelly stove has long since been torn down and replaced by our current building. When Harry and Betty moved into the new building, it took up just one of its current 6 bays and the entire stock at that time fit in that one small space.

It did not yet have the reputation that it carries today but it did have a few very important things back then that remain guiding principals today. Way back then, Harry was involved as part of his community, his son Saul and now Grandson Scott and their faimilies, have all been a part of this Faifield/Southport Community. Harry knew the people that came through his doors, he greeted each of them and he knew about their families. Harry watched as many families celebrated important milestones like weddings and graduations with a bottle of Champagne and more simple gatherings like a families back yard party. They Grieved with those families when they lost loved ones and helped to welcome new members to their families.

Sadly, Harry and Betty have since passed and more recently, Saul has finally settled in to retirement and passed the baton to his son Scott along with long time employees William and Patrick (thats me). I sat many times with Saul and listened for many hours as he talked about his fathers work ethic and good fortune. He told me about his days as a teacher and coach and how when his dad died, he turned Liquor store owner. He told me about a neighbor that helped to guide him through buying the Harry's corner and expanding his store. I watched the same work ethic and concetration on customer service that his father passed to him.

Saul built a well regarded wine shop that has won numerous awards and been the inspiration for many other stores that have used his model to build their own reputations. He hired good people and put his faith in them. He guided and expanded abilities of the people that worked for him. Many former Harry's employees have "graduated" and some remain in the business in a different capacity. A few went on to own their own stores, another bought a wine/liquor distribution company, some are doing sales or other jobs in the chain of our industry. All former employees are seen as members of our family and our legacy. It is true that we have had a crazy uncle or two along the way but we are very proud of our staff past and present.

I sat with Saul yesterday. We revisited some of the conversations that we have had along the way. I was reminded again of his humble nature and his giving personality, the one passed down from his father and passed on to his children. I hope that our customers can see that some of it has also rubbed off on to William and myself also as well as our staff. Saul also talked about our town and the people in it and reminded me that "our little store" has a long history.

We see the pictures of  "The original store", "Harry", & "Betty" that are proudly displayed over the wine tasting table in the California room. "Harry the duck" floating in the wine chiller that far pre-date any of our current employees, the black and white photos that Saul and Annes daughter, Kira took of our town still hanging and reminding all of us of our history. All lending themselves to the pride we all take in our little store. The one that continues to serve its customers with gratitude for their patronage more than seven decades later.

Our thanks to our customers, to Harry and Betty along with the reast of the Pollack family and the town of Fairfield now celebrating 375 years, for the many great years. As for us, we continue to look for the next great wine, the next community milestone, family wedding, and if we get lucky, maybe another trip to the Little League World Series this year for our town.

What a great legacy to be part of...

-Cheers