Today we’d like to introduce you to Kirstyn Litchfield.
Hi Kirstyn, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
After I graduated from college, I started bartending and fell in love with the service industry. Fifteen years went by in the blink of an eye. I moved from Boston to Austin in 2013 and got a gig serving drinks at Ego’s Karaoke Bar. In 2014 I was headed home and noticed a “for rent” sign on an old liquor store near my home. My partner David and I had talked about opening up a shop that was bartender focused with bar tools, bitters, syrups, and books – basically all of the accouterments needed for crafting lovely cocktails. I went home and told David about the opportunity of opening not only our bartender shop but also being able to open a liquor store to highlight all of the brands we knew and loved. David was hesitant, but I called the number on the sign anyway. We signed the lease five days later. David and I had both worked as bartenders for the better part of twenty years and were flush with product knowledge, but running a small business, not so much. The first two years were full of trials and errors and learning, but today (seven years later) we have three locations, thirty employees, and a thriving wholesale business.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I wouldn’t say our path has been smooth, but we were so lucky to have the Austin service industry behind us. They say that word of mouth advertising is invaluable and I couldn’t agree more. David and I know a lot about the products we sell, however, we didn’t know how little we knew about running a business. We spent all of the money we had opening our first store – we were not able to hire any employees for the first two years of being in business. David and I worked twelve hours a day six days a week. We struggled to pay our bills, we struggled to keep our shop stocked, and we struggled to keep our relationship alive. There were many times we wanted to throw in the towel, but looking back on it now, I can say we overcame all of those struggles and all of the tears were totally worth it.
As you know, we’re big fans of The Austin Shaker. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
The Austin Shaker is a locally owned retail liquor store specializing in spirits, craft beer, fine wine, and professional bar gear. Owned and operated by veteran bartenders, we pride ourselves on our curated selection while maintaining the feel of a neighborhood store. Our team is comprised of bartenders, industry professionals and people that just downright love what they do. Come in and grab your favorite beverage – or learn how to make that perfect cocktail you had the other night. Our booze professionals are here to chat with you! We go above and beyond to find you smaller batch and hard-to-find liquor – while still carrying the basics. We aren’t going to sell you top dollar if all you need is something simple for mixing. We want you to leave our store knowing you got exactly what you needed, wanting to come back for more.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
This is such a hard question – yes we learned a lot about our business, our employees, and our customers. Liquor stores in Texas were deemed an “essential business,” so we were faced with all of the conflicting information, employee anxiety, customer anxiety, changing guidelines, and general worry for everyone’s safety. The pandemic brought our team closer together – I don’t think I’ll ever be able to express my gratitude enough to our badass staff.
Contact Info:
- Website: theaustinshaker.com
- Instagram: @theaustinshaker
- Facebook: @theaustinshaker
- Twitter: @theaustinshaker
