Real Talk Series #1 with Steve Dennis

A decade ago, you could get away with being average in retail because consumers back then didn’t have the same kind of resources and information we have these days. Since the emergence of digital disruptions, everything has changed. There is no room for average, boring retail anymore. Steve Dennis, who has more than 30 years of experience in retail as a senior executive at Fortune 500 retail companies and now a strategy consultant, talks why consumers now demand Remarkable Retail and how to create it. Steve says retail must also be personal. No customer wants to be average, and no customer has to be. That said, how do we define a memorable retail experience? How can retailers create relevant, authentic, and impactful experiences for their customers? Find out now! Join Chris as he talks with Steve about the essentials for remarkable retail and his new book.

In the summer of 2008, John Tucker approached Marc Miles and Seth Hirschel with a business plan to open a healthy fast-casual Mexican restaurant that was absent in the Westchester County, New York. They founded Salsa Fresca shortly after, opening its first restaurant in Millerton, N.Y., with an open kitchen concept while using fresh, quality ingredients. Fast forward, Salsa Fresca now has 10 locations in New York and Connecticut and plans to expand nationally.

In today’s conversation with Seth Hirschel, one of Salsa Fresca’s founders and Chief Development Officer, Seth shares what he has learned from building Salsa Fresca and how the whole narrative on the fast-casual is changing.

New Jersey is notorious for its restrictive laws governing who can sell alcohol. Those laws limit the supply of licenses based on population - one liquor license per 5,000 residents. Because of such restrictions, many liquor licenses in New Jersey are bought from existing license holders. In places where demand is high, licenses can sell for $1million or more – if they are available at all. 

Despite this restrictive business landscape, Liquor Factory has paved its way to becoming a staple in New Jersey with six different locations. On today’s show, Matt Tobin of Liquor Factory dives deep into what is like running a successful family business. Plus, he gives great and practical tips on opening a liquor store in New Jersey. 

In this episode, we cover these FAQs: 

Sister duo Ashley Dellavalle Jung and Paige Dellavalle Walker have been seen by millions on Shark Tank. After successfully pitching their jewelry business to the Sharks in 2013, the sisters, who are also West Point grads and retired soldiers, have opened their first Stella Valle pop up store in Flemington, NJ.

The key takeaway from this episode: 

Walgreens had a void in the Paterson marketplace which it was eagerly looking to fill. However, land availability, especially the size required by the standard Walgreens footprint, was not readily available in urban marketplaces such as Paterson. In this episode, Al Callegari, DLC Management’s Senior Vice President of Development & Third Party Services, tells the behind the scenes of this project in which he had to acquire eight different pieces of land from five different owners and how he assembled these lands into one complete store.