Family history—Lebanese roots sown in Berkshire soil
To understand Jim Nejaime’s success as proprietor of SPIRITED Wines in Lenox, you need to know some family history. For example, the fact that his mother (Marilyn), a U.S. citizen of Lebanese descent, went to visit Lebanon in the mid-1950s, fell in love, and got married. And, even more significant, that she convinced her husband (Nabih Nejaime) to come back to the U.S. with her to make a life together.
They emigrated in 1955, settling in Torrington, Conn., where her father owned a grocery store. Nejaime, who studied restaurant and hotel management in Beirut, helped run that store and partnered with a cousin to run his own store in neighboring Harwinton. In 1962, his life took an unexpected turn when, on his way to visit his sister in North Adams, he stumbled on a market for sale on Main Street in Stockbridge and made an offer. His first move as owner was changing the name from Stockbridge Market to “Nejaime’s Stockbridge Shop.”
An iconic painting and a name made famous
Norman Rockwell and his wife Molly lived around the corner from the market. They made a routine of riding their bikes to the store to buy the Lebanese food they’d come to love—so frequently, in fact, that they became great friends with Nabih and Marilyn. Based on their mutual respect and affection, Rockwell added the name “Nejaime’s Stockbridge Shop” above the market in his iconic Home for Christmas (Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas) painting after sending it off to McCall’s, and then resubmitted it to the magazine. (The eight-foot-long original painting hangs in the nearby Norman Rockwell Museum.) The illustration was published by the magazine in December 1967, bringing fame to both the painting and the Nejaime family name.
“We grew up working in the grocery store,” Jim Nejaime explains. “In 1970, Dad bought a wine shop around the corner on Elm Street, but eight years later, it wasn’t making money, so he planned to sell it.” Those discussions and plans prompted Nejaime to leave Boston and a desk job in finance to come to the Berkshires to run the wine shop.
“My roommates and I always had a passion for wines,” he says, “and I took extension courses after college to learn more about the art of making wine.” Those courses quickly paid off. Soon after (1980), his brother Joe moved up from Florida, and they opened two more wine shops together—one in Lenox Village in 1982 and one (the future “SPIRITED” business) in 1988 on Route 7. They began importing wines from handcrafted wineries in France, Italy, and Spain, and the business took off.
Breaking business ties to keep family ties
Jim and Joe Nejaime enjoyed being business partners for 33 years, running three shops together (one in Stockbridge and two in Lenox). In 2012, in anticipation of some of their adult children joining the businesses, they decided to make a change to avoid any family conflicts over who owned what down the road. “Joe kept the two village-center Nejaime’s wine shops (in Stockbridge and Lenox) and I took the “SPIRITED” wine shop on Route 7,” Jim says matter-of-factly. That decision has helped them remain close family allies and avoid any issues of second-generation work roles. Also, “estate realities” made being independent advantageous to each of the brothers.
Consistent mission
When asked how he defines success, Jim does not hesitate. “Having a business we can be proud of that’s financially successful and gainfully employs a number of people while providing our clients with great wine, food, and spirits that enhance their lives,” he responds. “We feel blessed that 99.9 percent of our sales are not to people with addiction issues but rather to clients who enjoy what we add to their lives—folks who love our business and thank us.” He also feels lucky that Massachusetts (unlike Connecticut and New York) allows the sale of alcohol and food together, enabling him to sell deli sandwiches, all the makings of a locally rich charcuterie board, and the Lebanese specialty items once popular with the Rockwells.
He adds that running a successful business is all about relationships—something Jim is good at building and maintaining (he is currently Membership Committee chair at the Stockbridge Golf Club). To illustrate how far his reach extends, he shares this anecdote: “A longstanding Boston area client told me the other day that he was at a conference with another doctor who asked where he bought his wine. ‘I have a little shop in western Mass,’ he told his friend, only to find that they both have been shopping at SPIRITED for years! Those kinds of conversations are what keep the business thriving.”
Pandemic- and recession-proof business
You don’t have to remember specific New Yorker cartoons to recall how startling the rise in alcohol sales was during the first two years of the pandemic. According to a Columbia Mailman School of Public Health study, liquor store sales surged to $41.9 billion from March to September 2020— an increase of 20 percent compared to the same period in 2019. While dining establishments’ retail sales fell 15 percent below pre-COVID-19 levels in September 2020, beer, wine, and liquor store sales rose by 17 percent and stayed at that level during the pandemic.
“The truism that people buy alcohol in good and bad times remains true,” Nejaime says. “The pandemic for us was a time that business-wise was embarrassingly beneficial, given that it was such a tough time for people overall. Because the government deemed us essential (like grocery stores), we didn’t experience the interruption other businesses that had to close did.“
In fact, with all the people staying or working from home and the huge influx of people moving to the area, it was hard to keep up with the demand. His 20-person staff felt exhausted, so he shortened the store hours to get through the height of the pandemic. Even now, with recession talk filling the airwaves, business remains strong. “Although we’re more of a discretionary purchase when interest rates are up and markets are down, there hasn’t been much fluctuation in wine and liquor prices, compared to the uptick for groceries and dining,” Nejaime explains.
There were two downsides to running his business during the pandemic, however. First, Nejaime couldn’t hold his usual in-person weekly wine tastings at the store—although he did manage to hold virtual ones, offering the same industry expertise, special sales, and valued recommendations.
Second, with international travel halted, he was forced to take a hiatus from his bi-annual trips to the world’s great wine regions, including visits to the boutique wineries they directly imported into the U.S. His last trip was in late 2019 when he traveled to wine regions in the Rhone Valley, Provence, and Southern France. Nejaime plans on resuming these wine-finding trips in early 2023 with an excursion to Northern Italy. Although he used to travel for longer stints, he now plans to keep his trips relatively short (five to seven days) and stick to one country.
“Make new friends, keep the old”
How does Nejaime draw in new customers and keep the old ones? Well, for one, SPIRITED has a great location, just a short distance from Price Chopper/Market 32 and Guido’s on a well-traveled stretch of Route 7. While not a quaint village, the Holmes Road intersection is easy to find and offers plenty of free parking. Jim is also good friends with all the local business owners. “Most of our client base develops organically,” he says.
Then there are the complimentary weekly wine tastings held at the store (typically on Saturdays), featuring in-person visits by winemakers from France, Italy, Spain, and California. Recent in-store tastings featured Tuscan Winemaker Roberto Stucchi of Badia A Coltibuono Winery, who showcased six wines, ranging from a Sangiovese (on sale for $11.99) to a “Super Tuscan” Montebello (on sale for $49.99), and wine rep Cat Anderson, who showcased Small Estate Spanish Wine Gems (all on sale). In Nejaime’s view, the most memorable wine tasting to date was the giant tent tasting, last held in 2019, showcasing over 80 curated wines and producing tremendous sales.
Nejaime also holds wine tastings, seminars, and paired dinners off-site, at restaurants such as Wheatleigh, Alta, Haven, and Bistro Zinc (all in Lenox), Mazzeo’s in Pittsfield, Cafe Adam in Great Barrington, and Old Inn on the Green in New Marlboro. “The ‘great pairing’ of experience, special events, and connections with clients makes the work even more satisfying,” according to Nejaime.
Though drawing more customers is something most businesses struggle with, it hasn’t been an issue for Nejaime. “We find our best source is word of mouth, one client to another,” he notes. Social Media also helps (SPIRITED has nearly 2,500 Facebook followers and 1,082 Instagram followers). Finally, there’s the exceptional service from the well-seasoned staff. “When you visit the store, the atmosphere is welcoming and helpful—employees note your purchases and preferences and invite you to be on our mailing list, so we can follow up with special deals,” Nejaime says. Customers can also sign up on the website to keep abreast of upcoming events and other offerings.
Succession plan?
“We’re happy with the way things are, growing our business by maintaining customers and gaining new customers by word of mouth,” Nejaime states, adding that they don’t have any brick-and-mortar expansion plans. “We’ll keep our one location and keep giving the individualized attention and service our clients expect.” Asked if his daughters have expressed an interest in taking over the shop down the road, he replies, “At this time, all three are very successful and happy in their own careers, and I’m happy to continue doing what I love doing. Salute!”
