The Four Firkins
Food Production - Saint Louis Park, Minnesota, United States
The Four Firkins Employees
The Four Firkins Details
The Four Firkins was unique in Minnesota. While it was technically a liquor store we didn't sell any wine, cheap booze or mass produced beer. All we sold was craft beer and quality European imports. The staff were all highly educated about beer, there were eight different Certified Cicerones employed at the Firkins over the years and we could answer any beer questions in detail. It was a friendly place with a focus on treating people with respect. Weekend samplings and beer classes were always highly attended and our regulars knew us all by name. Indeed, we still count them all as friends today. When I opened The Four Firkins back in 2008 craft beer was still relatively new in the Twin Cities. You could count the number of breweries in Minneapolis on one hand and none of them had taprooms.Over the years many things changed. We supported the taproom bill. I personally testified alongside Omar Ansari of Surly brewing in support of breweries and taprooms. We wanted to see the craft beer scene grow and flourish. More recently the entrance to Minnesota of Total Wine has had a huge impact on the liquor retail industry. Their aggressive big box model and practice of selling products for pennies above cost made it even more difficult for independents. Combine that with Target opening an attached liquor store very close to our St. Louis Park location and a brand new MGM just down the street and you have a very competitive situation. After seven years of successful business and two locations the Minnesota beer industry had changed so much that a "beer only" specialty store was no longer viable. We were forced to make the very difficult decision to close it down.It will be remembered by those who loved it as something special. Everyone who worked alongside me is very proud of what we accomplished and will remember it with a sense of pride.Thank you to everyone who made it such an amazing ride over the past eight years. None of us will ever forget it.
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