While many businesses in Bronxville suffered through Hurricane Sandy, the newly opened Topps Wine and Liquor and sister store Topps Bakery thrived. The stores were a rare and welcome site for people in search of prepared food and hot beverages after the storm.
The stores”™ new owners acknowledge their measure of good fortune, not only in avoiding the storm”™s damaging impact, but with the timing of their opening. R. Heath and Jacqueline Lachman bought the former Wine and Spirit Emporium at 98 Pondfield Road in Bronxville this year and reopened it as Topps Wine and Liquor last month for an undisclosed amount of money.
The beverage store boasts a huge selection of wines and a tasting bar, offering happy-hour tastings every Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. They also have mood music provided by area pianists.
Heath Lachman, a self-proclaimed lover of wine, doesn”™t confess to be a wine expert yet, but he relied on the knowledge of others like Mount Vernon native Ronnie Mostero to help curate the inventory.
Lachman believed it was “just a matter of time” until he started to pursue the business side of his passion. “I have a fairly small collection (of wine) at home and I”™ve had my eye on the store because of that,” he said. The time came after the previous owner made it clear she wanted to retire. Heath and his wife pooled their own resources without seeking a loan from a bank and were able to make an attractive offer.
Once the deal was done, the new owners spent roughly 10 weeks on cleanup and renovations before opening the wine and liquor store. The Lachmans, who reside in Bronxville, hired Whitney Vlasaty of Yonkers to conceive the redesign of the store.
The Lachmans also were looking to expand their business profile with the deal. Before becoming entrepreneurs, Heath worked for Clear Channel Communications Inc. in advertising sales and Jacqueline worked in television as a media marketer.
The desire to own a small business was in Heath”™s blood. His family has a storied history in entrepreneurship going back to his great-great-great grandfather Charles Smylie, who founded the company that invented Twizzlers candy. Lachman and his wife purchased their first business in Bronxville six years ago when they bought the bakery. Now they have roughly 20 employees under the Topps brand.
As entrepreneurs, they felt it was crucial to grow. Years ago, “A family could live off of a single retail, but it isn”™t like that anymore,” Jacqueline said. “You see why these chains have multiples, because you need multiple units to actually support a family.” The Lachmans are also committed to their community and wanted to keep their business investment local.
The couple is looking forward to opportunities the new wine and liquor store may present in their neighborhood and the area. They plan to expand their wine list in the near future. “Once we get further in, I”™ll definitely bring in more small vineyards,” Heath said. “That”™s kind of what we”™ll tailor our store to, a niche for small vineyard production.”
