Major Remodeling Effort to Make Sussex Liquor More Shopper Friendly

When Pav Sangha and his father purchased last May, they had a good feeling about Sussex as a community for doing business.

The 27-year-old Sangha, who moved to Germantown from Fort Atkinson in 1993, was looking to start his first business venture in a place that was growing, yet still had a friendly, small town feel to it.

Thus far, he has definitely not been disappointed.

“The people of Sussex are great,” said Sangha, who took over a business founded in 1972 at N64 W24310 Main Street. “That was the primary reason I wanted to buy a liquor store in the suburbs, because I live in Germantown, I really like the people out here and it’s really friendly.”

The store is nestled in a strip mall that also features several other businesses including , , and , and . Besides friendly people and good business neighbors, Sangha was also looking to work with a local government that would help make his business transition go smoothly.  Again, he has not been disappointed.

“When people come in here, they know me by name and I know them by name...”

“I like doing business in Sussex a lot,” said Sangha. “The village board was very friendly. My father and I had no problems getting a permit. It was positive and the board liked having another new business owner coming into Sussex.”

Sussex Liquor Mart carries a wide assortment of beers and liquors but its specialty is in stocking hard-to-find liqueurs, mixers and craft beers. The store also carries high end scotches, Irish whiskies, and many other products that his customers won’t find in the big box stores.

“I think people are beginning to realize that big box stores are good for certain things but there is also a level of service and quality that you get from mom and pop shops,” said Sangha. “I have the ability to take in any one product at any time that’s available for the market, whereas a larger store has to go through an extensive, six-month process for a board to approve a liquor to hit their store. I can custom order anything that’s available in this area that people would like to have. That level of freedom is great.”

Like the business community around him, Sangha’s business is already growing and in need of changes. Towards that end, he is undertaking a major re-modeling effort over the next six months

“...there is also a level of service and quality that you get from mom and pop shops.”

“We’re going to be installing new shelving which will give us the ability to re-do the store with a new floor plan,” Sangha explained. “The bottles of liquor, whiskies and vodkas will be moved to a different part of the store as will the beer. So it’s a re-set of the floor plan that will make the store more shoppable and will give the store a better, updated look.”

The current shelving is the original shelving from when Sussex Liquor was built, so it’s old and small compared to the large shelving that will be installed. The remodeling will make it easier for customers to find the items they are looking for and will be cleaner and more modern-looking. 

“We will also be building a whole new checkout counter that will be bigger so people can more easily stage their beer and all of their purchases on the counter. Outside, we will be putting up a new LED sign which will say ‘Sussex Liquor’ instead of just ‘Liquor,’” said Sangha.

Besides making the necessary profit to stay in business, Sangha has a bigger bottom line goal: building relationships with the people who come through his front door.

“When people come in here, they know me by name and I know them by name,” said Sangha. “This liquor store has been here for a long time for a reason. It’s a good location and our product is phenomenal, especially our craft beer selection. We do our best to make it the best place for people to shop.”