For 15 years I have been telling an My father studied Pharmacognosy (the study of plant based medicines) at inaccurate story about the history of the University of Cairo, Egypt. This education brought him to America in 1949 seeking a Masters degree at USC. Upon completing his degree, he went to work The WINE OF THE MONTH CLUB. for a pharmaceutical firm in the product development department, cranking out I love saying that we are the oldest mail order new cough medicines, anti-fungals, and the like. He opened his first wine service in America. It gives me a feeling of Prescription Shop in Inglewood, California, in 1955. history and our family. After all, Paul Kalemkiarian Sr. The company grew to a point where he bought and sold over 12 claims he invented the idea of mail-order wine in 1972, pharmacies having 5 open at one time. and if you look at any of our competitors, their programs are really clones of the original! Even down to newsletters with recipes and free We were here in 1972! binders. The difference between the original WINE OF THE MONTH CLUB and everyone else’s wine program is its history. A history that in itself His last store Membership in the commands better purchase was WINE OF THE MONTH CLUB is FREE. quality wines and unique and the No dues or fees. No unexpected charges. better prices. beginning of the story I have had The company didn’t start out wrong for all Join now. as a mail order company trying to these years. Call toll-free sell as many bottles as possible, it 1-800-949-WINE started out as a service to confused When I (1-800-949-9463) 8 am - 5 pm PST wine patrons of Palos Verdes was a teenager, 24 hour fax: 626-303-2597 Wines and Spirits, in a suburb of stocking the [email protected] Los Angeles, California. shelves of the www.WineoftheMonthClub.com Prescription Tuesday Tasting Cam and Podcasts now on our website! I have been telling this Shop in Palos story for years… Verdes Estates, come to find out last CA, my Uncle week that it was not David had to Adventures in wine since 1972 accurate. I wish to set keep an eye on 116 W. Lime Avenue, Monrovia, CA 91016 me, as I liked to the record straight. ©1985 from an original by Rita Schroeder Dad play with the aerosol shaving cream. This store was located in Malaga Cove Napa or Sonoma to hand Me Mr. G. has been a member of our club since 1973 and is still an active In 1989, I was a partner in a software company that was cruising along. Plaza and oddly enough, there was a drugstore in the same center (see inset). deliver their new releases member. I love it when he comes to our Wine Maker dinners, so I can recognize I had taken a few licks, having started a company with only a phone number One way to deal with your competition is to buy them out! So my father set out for inclusion in the shop his devotion to our program. and a P.O. Box, but we were stable and growing. to buy Palos Verdes Drugstore from a man named Walter Reese. inventory. Though my job The monthly selections were the impetus for THE WINE OF THE I’ll never forget the day that dad called and was to stock this wine, my Here is where the stories got convoluted. I have been saying all these MONTH CLUB. We would stack these selected wines front and center as you suggested that I buy the Club. years that Walt wouldn’t sell the Pharmacy unless my father bought the interest laid in beer. entered the store. As a patron would ask what we recommend, we would direct He was tired and looking to move to Julian, CA to begin his slow down. adjoining liquor store as well. Knowing my father, and the fact he was of the At some point, them to our WINE OF THE MONTH Selections. One red, one white, one scientific method, he would have no desire for a liquor store (I was wrong, the maybe out of frustration, imported, one domestic. Literally that day, the managing partner in my company began to write memos of his dissatisfaction with my sales performance. Without going into details, I Armenian merchant syndrome was more powerful). maybe out of a As time went on, patrons would rely on the monthly selections to pour at merchandising idea, dad knew I was on my way out. So, I took my dad up on an offer to try it out for six The truth is my father would only buy the their dinner tables and to know that they could leave the store and take them started to pick monthly months and see. Remember I told you my father was brought up in Cairo of pharmacy if it INCLUDED the liquor store. directly to a dinner party knowing the wines were pre-screened and chosen for Armenian heritage. His parents escaped to Egypt from the Turkish genocide of wine selections to help the their quality, variety, and value. Turns out O’l Walt’s motivation to sell the pharmacy was greater than his patron who would walk in the Armenians at the turn of the century, and therefore a seasoned middle- desire to keep the liquor store. and say, “My boss is The day soon came, that our store customers eastern businessman. wanted their monthly selections delivered. Dad said “both or nothing” and Walt said “ok”. coming for dinner and I Paul Jr. with Paul Sr. in front of When I decided to make a career change, I walked into my dad’s office need a nice wine, my the monthly display. In fact… the day I received my driver’s license, my first delivery was 15 and here is how the negotiation went (remember I was a rookie at this, after all, Palos Verdes Wines and Spirits was born. budget is $5.00” (don’t WINE OF THE MONTH CLUB packages to local customers. he had bought and sold over 15 businesses by then). forget this is 1973). The result: two monthly selections (one red wine and one The old Palos Verdes Liquor was really a run of the mill liquor store. “Son, here is the price, here Mostly ice, cigarettes and liquor. Not much wine, and what they did have was white wine) the store would offer as its recommendations for that month. Those were the beginning days of the original WINE OF THE ONTH LUB are the terms, hope you can make it work.” mainstream. However, to my father’s content, the patrons of the liquor store Each week I would go up into this precarious home-made loft in the back of M C . were always happy customers. A contrast to the typical patron of his the wine shop (I think it was built by my woodshop teacher) and set up the We continued to hand deliver the selections until it became a problem for “Yes, dad.” pharmacies who were not feeling well. tastings; brown bagging all the wines and laying out glasses. I guess there was the other store deliveries. We then moved to deliveries by UPS. At some point, Thank God. The best decision I have ever made. I would say “and the Well, dad set out some synergy to owning a wine shop and a chain of pharmacies. Dad would my father was tired of retail and began selling his pharmacies. In that he was rest is history” but that really only brings us to 1990 (more to come)! to turn Palos invite physicians he knew tired of retail, Palos Verdes Wines You have to love what you do. And I do. Verdes Liquor into through his pharmacies and and Spirits was sold in 1979. Not just because I get to taste wine for a living, but also because I get to knowledgeable customers to Unfortunately, a few years later, due a fine wine shop share that joy with my members. It is great fun to find something unique, good, select the wines for THE WINE to mismanagement, the new owners and renamed it and delicious, and then share it with friends (members.) THE WINE OF THE OF THE MONTH CLUB at closed our wonderful shop. Palos Verdes Wines MONTH CLUB is respected in the wine wholesale and wine-producing world. these weekly tastings. But… my father had kept the and Spirits. We buy a lot of wine, we pay our bills, we are very fair, and mail order rights and trademarked Do you know that that is how we can provide quality wine at a fair price with By the mid-70’s Palos the name “WINE OF THE there is a member the best guarantee in the industry. Verdes Wines and Spirits MONTH CLUB”. He spun off the was one of the premier wine of this panel that is operation of the club and operated it It truly is a win, win for our members shops in the Los Angeles area. still a member of as a freestanding entity. At that time, and our suppliers. At that time, some of the now the WINE OF THE we were the only service of this iconic wine figures used to Thank you for listening and MONTH CLUB? kind, and it remained that way until humbly drive down from the mid-80s. see you in the vineyard.