World Of Wine & Spirits Has New Owners

By Kaaren Valenta

Dave and Lynn Friebel, new owners of the World of Wine & Spirits of Newtown, have lots of plans for the liquor store located in Ricky’s Shopping Center at 71 South Main Street.

After taking over ownership of the store in November, the couple have renovated the interior, brought in a new wine selection, and are planning weekend wine tastings to attract more customers to the store.

“We want to keep our regular customers happy, but also bring in new customers,” Mr Friebel said. “So we’ve made a lot of changes that we think will appeal to both.”

One of the first changes was to change the shelf labels to make it easier for customers to identify the wines and get more information about them without having to ask.

“We’re always willing to help, but this just makes it more convenient for the customer,” Mr Friebel explained.

A former mechanical engineer, Dave Friebel says his background helped when he decided to buy the liquor store.

“I had been doing engineering consulting work,” he said. “My work always involved computer systems and sales, so all of this experience blended well to help me in owning my own business. I’m very thorough and methodical, plus I have sales and marketing experience.”

High school sweethearts who grew up in a small town, Guilderland, outside of Albany, N.Y., the Friebels moved to Southbury ten years ago. Lynn Friebel is an occupational therapist who works for the Regional 15 and Region 12 school districts and also has her own private practice in Woodbury. Their daughter, Nicole, 19, is in her first year of college at Holy Cross in Wooster, Mass.

“With our daughter in college, this was the right time to start my own business,” Mr Friebel said. “When she was in high school, we wanted to be able to go to her track meets on Saturdays.”

While he considered engineering a “good initial career,” the stumbling Connecticut economy made him rethink his options. “I was always traveling, always working late,” he said. “So when the second [job] layoff happened, I decided it was time to look at what else was available and try to find a fit.”

There were a number of businesses for sale when Mr Friebel was looking, including a pastry shop, funeral home, dry cleaner, developmental toy store, and several liquor stores.

“I fell upon this one almost by chance,” he said. “It is a good location with lots of potential.”

The store was owned by Don Gabriel and his son Don Gabriel, Jr, who also own another store in Connecticut.

“We bought the store the week before Thanksgiving and were very lucky that Don Jr helped us out for the first two weeks, showing us the ins and outs of ordering,” Mr Friebel said.

After the holiday rush, the Friebels spent weeks painting the inside of the store, changing the displays, bringing in new wine and liqueur selections, and making other changes, such as adding custom-designed gift baskets. Finally they held a grand opening last month.

“We are doing a little at a time,” Lynn Friebel said. “It is tough with me working in the schools, and my office, and then coming here. But it has been a lot of fun too. People in Newtown are so friendly.”

The couple has had a lot of help and advice from other shopkeepers, too.

“The florist [in Ricky’s plaza] is new, the Silver Lining store is new, too,” Ms Friebel said. “We’re all looking out for each other. It’s nice.”

The World of Wine & Spirits is open Monday through Saturday from 9 am to 8 pm. For more information call 426-0557.