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August 28, 2009

Where the ‘Fat Dog’ roams

By Nathan Straus

nstraus@jacksonvilleprogress.com



Fat Dog Beverages is coming to Rusk - the first full beer and wine store to set up shop in the city in recent memory. Work is expected to begin some time next week.

Kyle Fair, owner of Fat Dog Beverages, said because of the beverage store location in Cuney, many frequent customers hail from the Rusk area.

“It’s part of a distance scenario,” Fair said. “We want to maintain our customer base.”

When completed, Fat Dog Beverages in Rusk will stand on 1.63 acres with the building plans calling for 5,185 square feet.

The Rusk location will be Fat Dog’s 10th store location in East Texas.

Fair said he has followed area wet and dry elections and moved stores in at opportune moments.

“I think this will be the first dedicated beer and wine store in Rusk,” Fair stated. “Brookshire’s has been selling, but this is the first one I’m aware of.”

Because of its status as a beer and wine store, Fair said Fat Dog won’t compete with beer-selling grocery stores such as Brookshire Bros.

“Almost all of our customers do not want to buy beer at a grocery store,” he added.

Alcohol shoppers strictly looking for beverages don’t want to park in a 200-car parking lot and walk to the back of a grocery store to buy a 12-pack of beer, he stated.

“We’re a convenience business,” Fair said.

Other area convenience marts may see business suffer as a side effect of the new arrival.

Skeeter Irby, owner of the Skeeter’s convenience mart in Rusk, said he thinks Fat Dog Beverages’ arrival will both help and hurt his business.

“It’s a big stop sign for the area,” he stated. “Sure, it’ll take away from my business, but it may stop people in Rusk.”

He also said time will tell whether the competition will hurt more than help, or vise versa.

“The beer distributors said it’s a good thing,” Irby said. “Everyone wants to be where the good places are.”

Fat Dog is slated for a December 1 opening date, Fair noted.

“We need to get open before the holidays,” he added. “I’m very excited about this.”

Fat Dog is one of several regional brands owned by Majestic Fine Wines and Spirits. Majestic began as a one-store family operation owned by James Leggett near downtown Fort Worth in 1942. The company gradually added small stores to its operations to solidify its prominent position in the Tarrant County market during the 1950s. In 1955 the company was incorporated as Majestic Liquor Stores, Inc., and this remains as the operating entity today.

At present, Majestic operates 44 retail stores throughout Texas and is actively pursuing other expansion opportunities.

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