Today we’d like to introduce you to Lonnie Newburn.
Lonnie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
The Boston Shaker was founded on a passion for cocktails. The shop itself was started in 2008 as a small pop-up shop. In 2010, it moved to the current storefront, as a stand-alone retail shop running in Davis Square.
We are here to help make cocktails better—that’s our motto. At the end of the day we’re helping people make a better drinks, whether that’s through education, the right tools or ingredients.
The shop was founded to offer hard-to-find cocktail ingredients and has it’s grown into one of the foremost cocktail supply shops in the area, offering not only uncommon ingredients like bitters and syrups, but also modern tools, glassware, and more. We help to outfit home bars as well as professional bars, hotels and restaurants in Boston and beyond!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Working in such a niche industry does present some challenges of its own.
In the beginning we struggled to earn the business of our B2B accounts as we grew our inventory and reputation.
Incorporating and upgrading the Merchant, Inventory & POS software was essential to keep up with the increased business and required diligent research.
Now that the cocktail industry is expanding, we are constantly testing and vetting the constant barrage of new products coming to market.
The Boston Shaker – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The Boston Shaker is a craft cocktail supply shop. We specialize in the unique tools, glassware, ingredients, books and education for the cocktail industry.
We’re are known for stocking a great selection entry level and professional cocktail supplies under one roof!
We are proud to be a consistent member of the national cocktail community. Providing access and insights on classic and contemporary cocktail supplies.
What are your plans for the future? What are you looking forward to or planning for – any big changes?
We love to provide instruction and education for the world of cocktails.
While we host Craft Cocktail Technique Classes in our shop, our class size is limited due to the capacity of our smaller brick and mortar location.
In the future, or back in time, we would build out more of classroom setting to cover all the cocktail techniques and topics.
Pricing:
- Professional Boston Shaker = $14.50
- Cocktail Kit – Shaker Set – $27
- Bitters – $11-$26
Contact Info:
- Address: 69 Holland St. Somerville, MA 02144
- Website: thebostonshaker.com
- Phone: 617.718.2999
- Email: info@thebostonshaker.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bostonshakershop/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebostonshaker/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/thebostonshaker?lang=en
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-boston-shaker-somerville
Image Credit:
andrea_wolanin@wgbh.org
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