Buster’s Liquors will open its second location February 1st at 5851 Poplar Avenue in the Ridgeway Trace Shopping Center.
Their location at 191 South Highland Street will now be known as “Buster’s Liquors University.” The new store will be known as “Buster’s Liquors East.”
The new store is 18,000 square feet as opposed to 16,000 square feet at their Highland store, says Josh Hammond, one of the owners of the Buster’s stores along with his brother, Morgan Hammond, and their mother, Gay Hammond.
The location of the new space, which once housed a Staples store, has three times the amount of car traffic, Josh says.
“From, basically, the Clark Tower on down to Kirby, is a huge retail corridor. We feel like we’re finally over here in this major retail core of the city.”
The new location will feature a “tasting kiosk” — a “four-sided tasting area where we can host events,” Josh says.
Buster’s Liquors East also will include “a walk-in cigar humidor and a walk-in climate-control room for fine wine. And then we’ll have two conference rooms where we can conduct private and intimate tastings.”
According to a release, Buster’s Liquors was founded by R. M. “Buster” Hammond Jr. in 1954 on South Bellevue. “In 1968, Buster and his son, Rommy, moved the store to the corner of Poplar and Highland,” the release states. “And they finally reached their current location in 1970 with the completion of a new adjacent retail center, Dillard Square, that’s since been renamed ‘The University Center.’”
As for opening a new store at this time, Josh says, “The timing was just right. Everything seemed to come together.”
And, he adds, “This part of town is definitely in need of a larger retail wine and spirits shop that can literally carry everything. So, the industry is trending that way to larger stores. I think everything just came together quite nicely for us to get this place.
“A lot of our dear customers and friends have moved further out east,” he says, “and just don’t venture back in town as much as they used to. So, it will be nice to come out to East Memphis and see our old customers again.”
They gave their store on Highland a facelift almost 10 years ago. “We renovated the store entirely in 2015 on Highland.”
Last August, they opened Buster’s Butcher next to the Highland location. According to the release, Buster’s Butcher is “a full-service meat and cheese butcher shop” that “features professionally skilled butchers and stocks a curated assortment of meats, beef, pork, and international cheeses along with a number of made-in-house sausages, prepared sides, spices, and more.”
For now, the new location will be a “specialty liquor store,” Josh says. As for putting in a butcher shop at the new location, he says, “There is a space next to it. The landlord knows we’re interested. But first things first. We have to make sure these two new ventures — Buster’s Butcher and the new Buster’s East — are ‘ginning.’”
Grinder Taber Grinder was the contractor on the new location. Designshop was the architect and interior designer. Old City Millwork did the millwork. DataComm Services Corporation and Pomeroy IT Solutions Inc. handled all the computer and network needs.
“As far as colors and finishes, I would say a lot of what you see at the butcher shop is a little bit of what you’ll see at the new store.”
Would the Hammond family consider opening more locations down the road? “I’ll never say never. First of all, it’s taken us 70 years to get here.”
Asked how he felt about his family opening another location, Josh says, “My dad and my grandfather, all the effort they put into establishing a brand name for themselves in this city, and the legacy my brother and I get to carry on is a tremendous honor.”
He and his family have the opportunity to “serve the Memphis area” and “do it with a friendly nature and provide great customer value with our selection, pricing, and expertise. And it allows us to give back, which is also important to do in our family.
“We know the old adage: ‘The first generation creates it, the second generation grows it, and the third generation destroys it.’ We’re the third generation and we’re growing it. So, I think we’re doing something right.”
“And we’re welcoming our fourth generation with my nephew, Morgan’s son, Bear Hammond, who is coming into the business.”
They currently are in the process of hiring about 25 employees to work at either location, Josh says.