Meet Drew’s Beverage Barn

  • Location: 856 South 25th St., Easton, Pa.
  • Year Founded: purchased in 1986
  • Owner: Dana Parr
  • Years as X2PS Client: 6 years
  • Favorite thing about X2PS: Flexibility and Availability

The Entrepreneur on #OwningIt:

I can’t complain. I love my job. —Dana Parr, Owner

EASTON, PA —The road to becoming a business owner is long and paved with uncertainty. If there’s one person who knows a thing or two about this bumpy yet rewarding path to success, it’s Dana Parr, owner of Drew’s Beverage Barn in Easton, PA.

“I worked construction for 13 years and I knew I couldn’t do that the rest of my life,” says Dana.

So in 1986, he joined Drew’s Beverage Barn part time to get a feel for the business. That same year, he and his wife mortgaged their house, took the plunge and bought Drew’s.

“I jumped in with both feet,” Dana says about his decision. “It was a battle up and down, but I knew in my heart that I could do it.”

After Drew’s was remodeled in 1999, Dana decided that it was time to move to a larger location about 1 1/2 miles down the road.

“I lost some customer base” he says, “but I had the chance to purchase my own building.”

Despite some bumps along the way, 31 years later, Drew’s Beverage Barn has flourished into an Easton staple with a loyal customer base and an even more loyal owner.

“Service, to me, is very important,” says Dana. He and his associates are always there with a smile, ready to help customers carry something to their car or choose the best beer for their party.

His small but powerful acts of kindness go a long way—and often have customers returning. Even the jar of lollipops on the front counter for kids alongside their parents sends a message of good, old-fashioned thoughtfulness.

And despite Drew’s being so close to New Jersey, a state with more relaxed liquor control laws and lower priced items like keg beer, customers who tell Dana they’d rather go to Jersey are “few and far between.”

“The keg business overall has dropped a little bit. People that have parties now, they like variety,” Dana says. “Instead of being stuck with a half of say, Miller Lite, they might get a couple 30 packs of regular, a couple 30 packs of lite — I try to steer them in that direction.”

Variety is the name of the game at Drew’s Beverage Barn, and Dana caters to every kind of beer drinker—from fans of classics, to craft beer fanatics and everyone in between.

“The craft beer segment has been huge. So I keep as many as I can available,” Dana told us.

For a business as dynamic as Drew’s comes a need for a dynamic payment system. That’s why about six years ago, Dana partnered with Capital Direct.

“It was a no-brainer,” he says. After bouncing from bank to bank, Dana decided it was time for a change. “The fees were just killing me, but when [Capital Direct] came in and presented their package, I said it sounded like a win-win.”

Since switching to Capital Direct, Dana says he is “completely satisfied with the service,” especially their updated programming, competitive rates and free paper. “They’ve been great,” he says. “I tell people, ‘Hey, you gotta go to Capital Direct.’”

Visit Drew’s Beverage Barn  on Facebook to learn more.

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