Local Liquor Store is Coming up Aces

Ace's Wine and Spirits, located at 1811 Merrick Ave., has been a staple in the community for decades and is continuing to do well, even in an economy were small businesses are closing their doors for good on an almost daily basis.

Originally established back in 1946 by Ace Neely, who also owned a hardware store at the time, Ace’s Wine and Spirits was purchased by Joe Pascual and his father in April of 1991, making them the third owners of the business.

At the time, Pascual was finishing up studying Management and Computers at Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire and his father had just moved back to New York after previously retiring to Puerto Rico. The two went into business together, and as a wine connoisseur, Pascual decided that a liquor store would be the perfect venture.

“Almost 99 percent of the people who come in here are in a good mood, which makes it a happy customer experience,” he said. “That’s one of the big plusses, since you’re always surrounded by happy people. That’s a good place to be, and you’ve got to like what you do.”

Of course, there were ulterior motives to getting into this particular business.

“Back then, the law used to be that liquor stores had to be closed on Sundays, so we were guaranteed one day off a week.” Pascual said. “But now the law has changed – now we get no days off.”

Ace's boasts a huge selection of goods – wines from many major countries (including a large kosher selection), every conceivable liquor and various brands of Japanese sake, all running the price gamut from not-so-pricey (a $4.99 bottle of wine) to very expensive (a $2,200 bottle of cognac) and everything in between.

Ace’s also features printed descriptions on every shelf of nearly every item in the store, helping customers easily choose the right drink for the occasion every time.

In addition, Pascual pointed out that Ace's can put together a custom gift basket based on your exact needs.

"If you want to bring cheese and crackers, golf balls, whatever, just bring it down and we'll put it into one of our gift baskets for no charge," he said. "We're a very service-oriented store."

Ace’s also offers public wine tastings every Friday and Saturday.

With businesses across the nation feeling the brunt of the current economic crisis, Pascual admits that business has changed in recent years, but not necessarily for the worse.

“Business is constant, because you’re not changing consumption,” he said. “What happens is that you have more sales, but your average sale is smaller. So, instead of selling $25 or $30 bottles, we’re selling more in the $15 to $20 range. But I’m glad to say that Merrick, in general, seems to be doing pretty well.”

In the end, Pascual wants the community to know that Ace’s Wine and Spirits is a friendly, customer service-oriented establishment.

“You come here for quality, selection and service. Those are the three points we do business by,” he said. “If we don’t have what you’re looking for, we can either get it for you or send you to someone who can. It’s all part of being neighborly and doing what’s right for the customer.”