Gary Fisch did his B.S. from Rider College in Political Science and started working as a liquor salesman. Now a  CEO & founder, Gary founded his Wine and Marketplace 30 years ago and is dedicated in providing exceptional customer service. Fisch’s passion for wine and spirits  helped them win the Best Wine Shop Award numerous times and has helped scale incredibly. Initially started as a liquor store focused on wine is now a marketplace providing a wide range of gourmet items. Fisch educated himself at Sommelier Institute in  New Jersey and is currently offering shipping throughout  the country at Garyswine. Featured in “The Wine Guy” on the TV Food Network show and also listed as 101 Most Influential People in New Jersey Monthly’s “Power Issue”. Read to know more about Gary’s backstory.

Tell us about yourself and Gary's Wine & Marketplace. / How did you start Gary's Wine & Marketplace and what is the backstory

I originally entered the beverage industry as a liquor salesman. I had an opportunity to purchase a store, then known as Shoppers Discount Liquor/Wine Warehouse in 1987. The small, 1,200-square-foot store was located in Madison, New Jersey, and we quickly expanded its size by taking over retail spaces adjacent to it. I ultimately moved to a nearby 13,000-square-foot location, which remains one of the four Gary's stores currently operating in New Jersey. 

I followed my instincts to identify viable locations and opened several additional stores in rapid succession. As the business grew, so did its product offerings. While the stores were always primarily focused on wine, which is a passion of Gary's, we decided to offer customers a more robust set of items, including cheeses, charcuterie, and giftware. It was then that the business changed its name to Gary's Wine & Marketplace. Located in upscale New Jersey markets of Bernardsville, Closter, Madison, and Wayne, each store has a slightly different look and feel with similar product offerings. The business also expanded behind the scenes on the operations side when my son, Michael Fisch, began working alongside several years ago. He currently serves as the company's Director of Innovation, focusing on driving operational efficiencies through the implementation of new technologies and systems.

Very quickly, Gary's became a national brand, opening its 10,000-square-foot St. Helena location in the heart of Napa Valley in October 2019. Distinctively different from the New Jersey locations, the California store dedicates about one-third of its space to wine. The Napa location also offers freshly prepared foods, coffee, giftware, and wide range of gourmet items including cheese and charcuterie.

Image source: Garyswine

What do you look for in a wine, producer, or category when you make your buying decisions?

We seek wines that will over-deliver for their price points. We also look for producers that have a story behind the label that may resonate with our guests. We always say to our guests that we try thousands of bad wines each year so that they don't have to! Our expert wine buyers stand behind each new wine that we bring in.

What are the services you provide and what makes Gary's Wine & Marketplace unique?

Gary's offers high-touch customer service, with concierge services embedded into every offering and channel of communication. Gary's offers 2-3 in-store tastings per store per week, where we feature wines, beers, spirits, and gourmet foods for our guests to try. We offer catering services with fresh food made in-house daily. Gary's also has a robust corporate gifting business, wine clubs, virtual tastings, wedding registries, and more.

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Tell us about Gary's Wine Club and how did you come up with those plans you provide? What makes it stand out from the other wine clubs and who are the members of Gary's Wine club?

We offer three quarterly wine clubs, each at a different price point. These wine clubs offer more value to guests than if they were to buy the wines individually. In addition, our expert wine team curates the selections each quarter, and they include educational writeups in each of the clubs so that our guests can immerse themselves in the story behind the wines we select. Below are the three wine clubs that we offer.

-Sommelier Society: $150 per quarter, 6 bottles of curated wines, customization of either red, white, or mixed wines. This club is perfect for the beginner or curious wine fan interested in learning more about a variety of wines handpicked by our wine team. We'll provide them with 6 bottles quarterly to go beyond your typical favorites and try something new!

-Connoisseur Club: $350 per quarter, 12 bottles of curated wines, customization of either red, white, or mixed wines. Is the guest looking to stock their home with wines perfect for every occasion? Taste the very best wines from around the world, including our favorites that typically fly under the radar. For those who know about wine, this club is a great option to push the boundaries of their wine selection with options chosen directly by our experts. 

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-Napa Valley Select (Napa store only): $1,000 per quarter, 6 incredible, rare, hard-to-find boutique wines direct from the heart of Napa Valley, includes first access to our most esteemed allocations and complimentary wine tastings at Gary's Napa Valley for you and up to 4 guests. The Napa Valley Select wine club is a high-end, California specific wine club bringing you the best of the best within the area that will introduce you to exciting new gems and rarities for your collection.

What are the services you offer in event planning tell us more about them? How did you come up with event planning, since your main business is about the wines and spirits?

Event planning was a natural extension of our business, given that many guests come to our stores to purchase alcoholic beverages and gourmet foods for their events. During the pandemic, our event planning team helped our clients plan virtual tastings, virtual holiday parties, and more. While virtual events are still happening, we are now back to planning many in-person wine tastings, weddings, graduation parties, and more.  

Who are your suppliers for wines, spirits and other products and tell us about what are the aspects you look for while choosing a supplier?

We carry over 10,000 SKUs from over ~4,000 brands and we purchase these products from over 100 distributors. We generally look for supplier and distribution partners who are communicative as it relates to upcoming deals. We also seek partners who will help promote their products in our stores by providing educational materials and in-store tastings for our guests.

Image source: Garyswine

What are the changes you have seen in consumer behaviour and what are the new trends you are expecting?

Customers are now expecting a seamless omnichannel experience. For example, a customer may start their shopping journey online, chat with a customer success representative our website, text our store with a question, and then come into the store to make the purchase. It is our job to ensure that we deliver a flawless customer experience at each touch point, embedding concierge level services throughout their shopping journey.

What are your plans for Gary's?  How do you envision Gary's in 5 years?

We plan to continue to improve our operational efficiency so that we can deliver an even better customer experience. We hope to scale our e-commerce business online and increase our brick & mortar presence nationally.

Interviewed by Prithvi Nagpal, Editor & Sommelier, Beverage Trade Network