ANDREW - Origlio Beverage

Off-PremiseSPOTLIGHT
Ambler Beverage Exchange
The citizens of Ambler may be doing a double take as they
make their way down Butler Avenue these days. Vacant for
almost five years, the brick building where Ambler Beverage
once stood had fallen into a state of disrepair and became a bit of
an eye sore for the town. Enter Jim Carter and Doug Loughran;
two local guys who love Ambler (almost as much as they love
beer) and had a vision for a new beer distributor that would be
better equipped for the modern beer landscape. After nearly two
years of lengthy discussion, planning and renovating, the two
longtime friends proudly opened Ambler Beverage Exchange in
the winter of 2012.
Other than the saga of getting their hands on a liquor license,
transforming the dilapidated building was Carter and
Loughran’s biggest hurdle. Actual renovations took six months
to complete and resulted in a much more inviting and
shoppable space. The new store lends itself to browsing,
which is something customers are encouraged to do, given
the extensive selection of beers at the new distributor. One
of the biggest changes the team implemented was the
removal of the drive-through that the original owners had in place
years ago. Loughran and Carter wanted to offer a more personal retail
experience for customers.
While working on the interior of the building the guys made a rather
surprising discovery. The dropdown ceiling was covering up a beautiful
wood ceiling and steel trestles that had been hidden for decades. They
couldn’t very well keep the newfound infrastructure a secret, so they
removed the dropdown which opened the space, giving it a totally
new feeling and identity. To enhance the new aesthetic they
handcrafted large hanging lights out of old rafters, brightening up the
store which, according to Loughran, “is exactly what the dark and
dingy building needed.”
A tremendous amount of time and energy was also spent figuring out
the layout of the store. “The floor plan probably changed fifty times.
We just kept making blueprints until it felt right,” said Loughran. They
ended up with a well-organized design that allows each category of
beer its own space. The various categories include local beers, ciders,
standard domestics, high-end imports and crafts. Additionally, in the
front of the store, there is a section dedicated to variety packs which
both Carter and Loughran have had great success with.
The store also features a large refrigerator with sixteen cooler doors that
holds an immense variety of cold beer. The refrigerator is also equipped
with three taps, allowing customers to sample draught beer. They hope to
keep at least one keg flowing at all times with plans to bring in brewery
and wholesaler reps to conduct more formal samplings. The crew at
Ambler Beverage Exchange has found that samplings help them to “upsell,”
by introducing patrons to the craft beer segment. While they haven’t
been open all that long, Carter and Loughran say they have already seen
quite a few customers who were once domestic brand loyalists, explore
other options like Sly Fox, Allagash and Weyerbacher.
Keeping their shelves well stocked with plenty of options is something that
everyone at Ambler Beverage Exchange takes pride in. They make the
Owners, Jim Carter (left) and Doug Loughran
most of their space by limiting the amount of
beer on the floor. This not only helps with
space management, but with freshness as
well. At time of print, the store had
approximately 700 different beers in stock,
which is substantially more than the regulars
may remember seeing in the old distributor.
“We’re proud to fulfill this need in Ambler; a
classic small town with big ambitions,” said
Loughran. Now that the headaches of
remodeling are behind them, Carter and
Loughran can focus on growing their
business that is poised for success.
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