“I have to leave, because I start to cry,” Hershkovitz said. Hershkovitz said the store has received an enormous influx of customers during its last week, some buying as much alcohol as they could carry in a show of appreciation for the store and its staff. “I’m going to miss the regular customers, the people, right? And Irv,” said Tammy Henry, an employee of over 20 years. On the last day of business, Hershkovitz and his wife Kate Endt greeted customers - some who he has sold to for the past 30 years - with easy conversation and, occasionally, tears in their eyes. “ wanted to come be a part of it.”ĭinkytown Wine & Spirits opened in 1990. “It seems like a very important and nostalgic part of the U,” Schubert said. Third-year student Mattea Schubert came by for her first time on the last day. “ would always come in and grab me at bar close and go, ‘Come on over and have a beer.’ And when one year someone walked in and said, ‘Whose dad are you?’ I said, ‘I’m done, I’m not coming here anymore,’” Hershkovitz said with a laugh.įor many University of Minnesota students, the liquor store is a staple. Hershkovitz also previously owned Fowl Play, a bar that closed in 1999 and was located near one of the fraternity houses. Hershkovitz said besides getting to know regular student customers, he often sponsored fraternity fundraisers and other University-affiliated events throughout his decades in Dinkytown. “We have a small footprint compared to these big 20,000 square feet superstores, but we know we have a regular customer who wants a pint of watermelon New Amsterdam, then we put that in for him.” “Here is a community store,” owner Irv Hershkovitz said. McDonald’s is expected to reopen within a year or two in the same location as part of the new development, but Dinkytown Wine & Spirits is closing down for good. 9.Ī developer bought the land under the liquor store, McDonald’s and multiple other businesses, setting off multiple closures in preparation for construction. And my dad was so happy, they really made his last month.”Īfter a week of regulars flocking to the store to stock up on alcohol and say their final goodbyes, Dinkytown Wine & Spirits shut its doors for the last time on Jan. “They just feel like family and I’m going to miss them. And I picked it up, they called me and made sure it was all right,” Carter said. “He loved Samuel Adams Cherry, and so ordered two cases.
Since then, she has been a regular customer, even when she was taking care of her father in his final months. Adrianne Carter, a customer of 15 years, spent nearly an hour in Dinkytown Wine & Spirits on its last day open to say heartfelt goodbyes to the staff.Ĭarter said she first accidentally wandered into the store years ago to get to the Subway that used to be located in the building.
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