“I think I’m done.”
John told me that Dave had said this before. This time was different – the words, the
voice, just sounded different. Retirement
had been on the horizon for years (he’d actually tried it once before & it
didn’t stick). John & I started
working at The House on the same day; the plan was that Dave, the founder &
owner, would phase out over the next year.
One year turned into three, & the guy was still putting in 60-ish
hours a week, getting up well before dawn to come in & take care of
business.*
This past September, Dave passed a milestone: 40 years in the
beer biz. That career included owning
& running a distributor (Allegheny Beverage), a sandwich & 6-pack shop
(Jez’s Mart), a compulsory acquisition by the state to build a highway, then 6
& Save, which called several locations “home”. About eight years ago, Dave used the property
he’d bought along Freeport Street & built a commercial site, 6 & Save’s
final spot. He put in 12 draft lines
& began growing his retail inventory.
Dave found his passion for imports &
microbrews at Allegheny Beverage, & wanted to be able to offer single
bottles & six-packs at an affordable price (a case of Belgian beer seemed
cost-prohibitive). That inventory grew
to 500 different brands within a few years, & a hundred more, & a
hundred more, always with a special spot for the Belgians. The draft list was growing & getting
better, too, & the prices were the best in the greater Pittsburgh
area. This unassuming building with the
drab exterior had developed a reputation as the best-kept secret around for
beer geeks.
In December of 2009, Dave & the staff decided that “6
& Save” wouldn’t cut it - a destination like this needed a more fitting
name. The selection had become (as it
still is) the widest in the area, & the owner renamed it House of 1000
Beers to reflect that. A bold move,
yeah, but it was time people got the idea that he wasn’t messing around. Since that time, up to his last days as
owner, Dave strived to offer people more choices than anyone else, & worked
his ass off to make that happen. He made
the business a success based on his own interest & motivation, taking
chances & assuming expense to bring in brands he knew to be excellent. We at the shop always wondered if he was a
hoarder, or a fanatic – the idea was always more, & different. He has a collector’s mentality, & so
appealed to the niche excited by the new, the rare, the unique. Atmosphere, cuisine, had always been an
afterthought. It was all about the beer.
It’s hard to separate the business from its founder. In a way, the new name was both grandiose
& humble. 1000 beers – damn! Yes, but it’s also a house. A home.
Visiting, it was hard not to feel like you’d stepped into someone’s
furnished basement or garage. The House didn’t
feel like a finished commercial space, or a slick restaurant. It felt like someone had put it together with
their own two hands, & wanted to share it with you. It felt like that because that’s pretty much
what it was – a business grown from the ground up, figured out one step at a
time. “House” was also apropos because
the man practically lived there. Though
he’s had some terrific help over the years, Dave never stopped being hands on
& putting in the work himself. He
was the face & backbone of the business, having walked the floors &
stocked the shelves & coolers hundreds of thousands of times. You’d often find his used coffee cups just
lying around. As it’s become for many of
us, this was Dave’s home away from home – a 3,000 square foot man cave, that he
busted his ass to make the best he could.
And Dave is done. 40
years, thousands & thousands of beers, countless loyal customers &
friends. He grew an organic business
around a genuine love of beer. And at
the risk of sounding like a hack, he did it his way. It’s a cliché, but it’s also one of the
highest compliments I can think of to pay someone. His business was his own.
A little over a month ago, Dave passed the torch to Art, a
smart businessman & proven leader who shares a passion for beer. The wheels are in motion, John is still in
place as general manager, & while Art has plans for The House, they are not
to undo what is set in place, but to expand on it. Like myself, he came here out of respect for
what Dave established, what it means to him & so many others. Doubtless, we’ll still see the man around,
but now he gets to cool his heels on the other side of the bar. Raise a glass.
*Moment of truth: lest
you think that Dave is some kind of egomaniac who refers to himself in the
third person, it’s time to reveal that “Dave the Owner’s Blog” has been
ghost-written for the past several years.
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