As with every enterprise, the beverage alcohol retail trade is all the time evolving. From retailers that appeared darkish and dingy as much as the ‘90s, to the brilliant and pleasant makeovers of the ‘00s, to trendy layouts that emphasize expertise, these shops impressively adapt and enhance with the instances.
Look no additional than Socialize in Maryland. This household enterprise, with management that has efficiently mixed two generations, represents the reducing fringe of beverage alcohol retail in 2026.
“When folks stroll into Socialize, I would like them to instantly assume, ‘Whoa, okay, I’m positively coming again right here’,” says Gundeep “G” Singh, second era proprietor.
Socialize operates six shops in Maryland, together with Baltimore places. Anybody who has visited this enterprise is aware of precisely what Singh is speaking about. This can be a beverage alcohol retailer that actually stands out from the remainder.
All of it started within the early 2000s, when Singh was in highschool. His father purchased their household’s first liquor retailer in 2003, then known as The Liquor Retailer, in Baltimore. Like many who come from household companies on this trade, Singh grew up serving to out on the store when not at college. “We each realized collectively,” he says of those years together with his father. “We maneuvered via it collectively.”
“Again then the tendencies have been all Smirnoff, Hennessee, Absolut,” he provides. “There have been hardly any flavors. There have been fewer liquor shops on the street, hardly any competitors. We have been the biggest liquor retailer on the street. Even so, I all the time noticed potential in our location.”
When Singh graduated from faculty, he had to decide on whether or not to affix up with the household or go off and check out his personal factor.
“I took a second to consider it,” Singh recollects. “I noticed my dad working exhausting and I believed that we may very well be stronger collectively. I believed that I’d be a part of up with him in order that we may accomplish extra collectively.”
Right this moment, Singh nonetheless works together with his father, managing totally different places inside the household enterprise.
A Imaginative and prescient Delivered to Life
Maybe most noticeable about Socialize is that the majority places embrace an adjoining bar. Numerous liquor shops throughout the nation comprise a functioning again bar, a spot onsite the place clients can order drinks, together with barrel picks and native brews. Socialize does this a bit of in a different way, and with far more model.
Reasonably than a possibility to pattern retailer picks and different bottles for buy, Socialize’s on-premise half is extra about expertise. Singh has efficiently expanded their household’s model from liquor shops into nightlife. This has attracted an entire new buyer base, and altered the way in which that many individuals in Maryland take into consideration what beverage alcohol retail can accomplish.
All of it goes again to Singh’s imaginative and prescient round 2015.
On the time he was managing the household’s first retailer in Baltimore, a liquor license on the identical street of the situation grew to become accessible.
“I noticed a possibility for us to turn into a bar, liquor retailer and restaurant,” Singh says. “I informed my dad, we now have obtained to face out as a liquor retailer in our space to draw clients. I wished folks coming right here not solely to purchase a bottle, but additionally to have an expertise.”
“We’re a small enterprise,” he provides, “however my ideas are all the time huge.”
He researched whether or not he may legally mix the accessible on-premise license with the household’s liquor license. Satisfied that the plan labored, Singh and his household made the funding. Quickly, a bar and lounge would open up adjoining to that liquor retailer.
“In that period, that’s what made us distinctive,” Singh says.
Different beverage alcohol retailers in Maryland did already function an on-premise part. However what separated Socialize was how they rebranded of their evolution. Initially known as The Liquor Retailer, the household chain added the time period “Socialize” to their enterprise, which is what they’re now generally referred to as.
Singh started redesigning the situation. Out went the picket cabinets, IBM money register and different vestiges from the trade’s previous. In went glass partitions, marble flooring and chandeliers. Neon lighting illuminates the stylish lounge subsequent door.
The situation grew to become half bar, half retailer. “We rebranded as two enterprise at one location,” Singh says. “It introduced in a special crowd.”
“We have been the primary in our state to do that in the easiest way potential, with our branding,” he provides.
Lowering the dimensions of the off-premise facet helped relieve an issue over there. “It decreased our purchasing stress,” Singh explains, serving to alleviate the “SKU-mageddon” that shops confronted in these days with too many merchandise. “It decreased our packaged items measurement, so now we didn’t have to hold as many bottles.”
Via word-of-mouth promoting, the brand new retailer/bar idea shortly gained a loyal following. Singh wished to maintain the momentum rolling.
“After we noticed that the combo idea was a success, we thought that it may work elsewhere,” Singh says. “We made certain that any future retailer that we purchased, we may flip it right into a combo account.”
Right this moment, Socialize owns six places, 5 of that are on/off-premise mixture places.
Distinctive Operations
These twin websites make for distinctive operations. Relying on native county regulation, the bar and liquor shops are linked by a door between the 2. At first, this was a typical glass door that individuals may see via. However Singh realized that clients within the off-premise facet have been peaking via on the neon-lit bar on the opposite, which took away from the on-premise environment. Now the connecting door is darkish and tinted.
By way of staffing these related but-different companies, the staff on both facet have little to do with each other, Singh says. “There’s normally two totally different groups, relying on the situation.”
Social gathering promoters do a lot of the work on the bar facet, serving to run well-liked pleased hours whereas staffing bartenders. Socialize’s pleased hour specials initially showcased only some objects, however now principally each product is half off from 5 to 7 p.m., together with Patron, Don Julio and cocktails.
Singh leans into this experiential mindset. “I strive to focus on the shoppers’ 5 senses,” he says. “For sight, our shops are brightly lit, and we now have neon lighting within the bars. I would like our shops to scent good. So we put air freshener merchandise in our vent system, like what you scent while you stroll right into a on line casino.”
Native Traits
As with every native chain retailer, Socialize sees totally different tendencies relying on the situation.
The Towson, MD, spot is close to Towson College, an infinite public college. This makes for a university city environment, which creates sure shopping for patterns.
“There it’s all Buzzballz, Twisted Shotz, impulse buys,” Singh says. “Put up Meridiem, XXL.”
Nonetheless, on the Baltimore location, the patron tendencies lean extra in the direction of tequilas.
“Persons are in search of 100% agave, natural tequilas,” Singh stories. “Persons are actually rising their information in tequila, and so they wish to do it additional,” by increasing their collections and palates for agave spirits.
“Lagartona was one model we introduced in by buyer demand as a result of it’s natural,” he provides.
Different manufacturers doing properly on the Baltimore location embrace Clase Azul, Tequila Ocho and Lalo.
One other key pattern that Singh factors to is social media advertising and marketing, which has solely grown in measurement of significance for Socialize.
“Once we began off, we did radio, print and e-mail advertising and marketing,” Singh recollects. “Put up-pandemic, I noticed that each one of that’s old-school. Now we’re extra centered on search engine optimisation and the way your web site can higher pop up when folks search on-line. And we’re doing pay-per-click provides on Instagram and TikTok.”
“We’re getting higher at understanding the algorithms of Instagram and TikTok,” he provides. “I employed an entire workforce to deal with social media and am all the time studying extra about social media with them.”
This contains getting higher with timing.
“If you need extra views, there’s a specific time and day to publish,” Singh says. “If we’re posting a few get together immediately, then publish at 5 p.m. that day, as a result of that’s when of us are getting off work and opening their telephones to see the place the get together is that night time.”
Like many different social media-savvy companies, Socialize has had success by bringing in influencers. In alternate for comped drinks or different types of fee, these well-liked content material creators with enormous digital followings will publish about what’s occurring on the retailer.
“We’ve discovered that that pattern has been the simplest by way of participating with the general public,” Singh says. “We’ve had folks stroll in and say, ‘I simply noticed your espresso martini on Instagram. May you make it for me?’”
Singh’s social media workforce is all the time reaching out to influencers with invites and gives. And as soon as the area people of content material creators sees their friends posting about your home, they’ll doubtless attain out and ask if they’ll are available in for movies themselves. Singh says that it was robust getting influencers in at first, however as soon as a number of posted about Socialize, then all the remainder took an interest as properly.
“Now we now have influencers asking us once they can are available in,” he provides.
What’s Subsequent?
Singh stays centered and excited on how he can broaden and enhance the client experiences at his household’s enterprise. “I really like what I do and I do it with ardour,” he says. “Every single day, we’re promoting liquor and wine, and I get to inform folks what tastes like what and what pairs with what.”
On the unique location in Baltimore, he’s imagining a hookah lounge constructed into the again. “Hookah has turn into highly regarded,” Singh says. “Actually, I believe that hookah and vaping have taken away from our enterprise a bit of bit. So I’d like our place to turn into a go-to place for folks” who additionally take pleasure in these hobbies.
In Towson, Singh’s subsequent imaginative and prescient is to broaden the bar and lounge right into a nightclub. I visited this web site myself final yr throughout our journal’s 2025 Beverage Alcohol Retailers Convention in Maryland. Singh’s took us via the backrooms, the potential future nightclub, concrete rooms nonetheless used as storage whereas development begins. The long run was earlier than us. Listening to a visionary speak, together with his real ardour for enterprise growth and buyer expertise, it’s simple to imagine that something is feasible.
Kyle Swartz is editor of Beverage Dynamics. Attain him at kswartz@epgacceleration.com. Learn his current piece, The right way to Promote Allotted Whiskeys.
