Louisiana Purchases

In August 2005, Martin Wine Cellar, a family-run Louisiana retailer of wines, spirits and specialty foods, found its original 59-year-old store in New Orleans destroyed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. While that store is still being rebuilt, the merchant moved to a smaller location in the city on Magazine Street. Rather than a temporary outpost, the Magazine Street store is planned as a permanent addition—one in a series of growth opportunities that has helped Martin’s expand despite its tumultuous recent years.

“We had discussed expansion, but Katrina forced us to explore new markets and open new stores,” says Cedric Martin, president and son of the original founder, David Martin.

At the time of the disaster, Martin’s operated two stores. The New Orleans location, opened in 1946, began as a neighborhood liquor store that grew over the years to include prepared foods. The second, a specialty store/wine emporium in Metairie, a New Orleans suburb, opened in 1989. In the post-Katrina years, Martin’s has opened locations in Mandeville and Baton Rouge. “Through 2008, our business was phenomenal because people were coming back to the city and there were not a lot of stores open,” Martin says, adding that business slowed when the economy began spiraling downward.

But sales are rebounding again. After Katrina and, more recently, the BP oil spill, and amid a tough economy, the market has changed, and Martin’s is adapting. “Shopping—and consumers—are different now,” Martin says. “Consumers want one-stop options. We responded by expanding our prepared foods and specialty items, our online offerings and emphasizing our expertise in wine.”

Today, the retailer has evolved into an upscale chain selling specialty foods that complement the extensive selection of wines, spirits and imported and domestic beers. This is particularly true at its 12,000-square-foot flagship store in Metairie, which offers prepared food and catering for occasion planning. (The New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Mandeville stores average 3,000 square feet, selling
wine, liquor, beer and a few specialty foods.)

Solutions for Parties and Daily Meals

In Metairie, says Martin, “we’re a wine store with full catering and prepared foods—you don’t see that in too many places.” Shoppers can order food, wine, libations, beer, soda, ice and even glassware, with full delivery and pick-up included.

Beyond party-planning needs, weekly rotating wine specials and take-out or dine-in meal options—the latter of which are a favorite of New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, a frequent lunch and brunch customer—consistently draw in shoppers.

Meat and Cheese Showcases

Martin’s offers 3,300 SKUs of food and wine in its Metairie store, 700 of which are prepared and shelf-stable foods. Charcuterie and cheese are especially strong sellers as accompaniments to the vast wine selection. Caviar, foie gras, mousse and pâtés are popular, including Pâté Canard à L’Orange ($12 per pound) and Salmon Wasabi Terrine, a house-made dish with smoked salmon, capers, onions, dill and lemon zest enhanced by a layer of wasabi crème ($22 per pound).

Specialty meats are a centerpiece. Martin’s selection ranges from imported varieties such as Prosciutto di Parma (available exclusively at Martin’s in the New Orleans area) to Schinkenspeck, air-dried smoked ham. Martin’s also sells Cochon Andouille and Cochon Tasso, locally produced sausage and ham from New Orleans’ Cochon restaurant, with 2011 James Beard Award winner for Best Chef of the South Stephen Stryjewski at the helm.

In the cheese department Martin’s offers cow’s milk cheeses such as St. Marcellin, a rustic, nutty cheese from France ($7 per 4-ounce crock); UnieKaas Reserve Gouda ($16 per pound); and Roaring 40s Blue ($15 per pound). Goat’s milk cheeses include La Yerbera, a Spanish goat cheese with crusted almonds ($6.25 per quarter-pound); Capra Honey Goat, a rich Belgian cheese flavored with a drop of honey ($14.49 per pound); and Cypress Grove’s truffle-infused Truffle Tremor ($6.75 per quarter-pound).

The store also carries a well-stocked selection of pantry items. Olive oils range in price from $10 to upwards of $50 and include Laudemio Frescobaldi, a Tuscan oil, Olio Santo from California and Olio Verde, an unfiltered variety from Sicily using Nocellara de Belia olives.

To balance savory and sweet offerings, Martin’s has made cookies a house specialty. The retailer customizes the homemade cookies to be given as gifts, including the recipient’s name and birthday. Gift baskets are also on offer and are especially popular for birthday celebrations, anniversaries and during the holidays.

Prepared Foods: Gumbo to Go

Martin’s prepared-food offerings include an array of sandwiches, salads, soups and specialty items seven days a week, as well as brunch on Sundays. Featured lunch menus include chicken salad, a store specialty, and the Sena, a salad with pulled oven-roasted chicken, raisins, pecans, blue cheese and field greens tossed in Tabasco pepper jelly vinaigrette. The retailer also recently enhanced its online presence to let shoppers order lunch online and pick up their food on-site.

In May 2010, Martin’s began serving dinner daily from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. “There are not a lot of places in the New Orleans suburbs in between chain restaurants and high-end restaurants to have a nice dinner and wine, without spending a lot of time or money. We realized there was an opportunity, so we decided to begin serving dinner,” Martin explains. “We offer consumers a restaurant-quality meal and a glass of wine, all for about $20.”

Specials change weekly but entrées include boudin-stuffed quail with a bourbon demi-glacé, smothered greens and a biscuit, and New Orleans-style barbecue shrimp served with a jalapeño corn muffin. A selection of red, white and rosé wines by the glass for around $5 for both lunch and dinner is on offer, and the “Dinners in a Dash” kiosk is a popular in-store feature. “We repackage the lunch specials at a discount for to-go dinners,” says Martin. Dinners in a Dash features a frequent buyers card: buy 10 dinners, get the 11th free. Add a bottle of wine and the ready-to-eat meal is complete.

The Wine: Bordeaux to Burgundy

Even with the expanded food offerings, Martin’s roots as a premier wine store remain strong, as does its reputation for an elusive varietal selection and chain-wide staff specialists, many of whom are Master Sommeliers. Offerings range from $5 per bottle to more than $500, but the concentration is on specialty wines that cannot easily be found in the New Orleans metro area.

“We travel the world to find hot new wine spots,” Martin says. “We were featuring Argentinean wine 15 years ago; now everyone else is catching up. We were also selling Spanish wine 20 years ago, when the country’s reputation as a wine producer was nothing like it is today.” The store is currently showcasing varieties from Portugal and New Zealand, two up-and-coming regions.

Martin’s specializes in hard-to-find Champagnes, Bordeaux and Burgundies, including Burgundy Futures—for those wine connoisseurs who are willing to wait rather than purchase for immediate consumption. Currently, Martin’s is accepting orders for 2009 Burgundies that will become available in 2012; they run the pricing gamut, from a $15.99 Louis Latour (Beaune) Cote de Nuits Villages (2009), to a $53 Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay Vendanges Sélectionnées, up to a $499.99 Domaine Dujac (Morey-St. Denis) Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru.

The recent economic downturn did result in purchasing shifts in wine, Martin notes. “In 2008, [shoppers] were buying $100 wines, but when the recession hit, prices dropped to $50,” he recalls. Wines in the $35 to $50 range are selling again, and varieties between $15 and $20 are also doing well. “Consumers want a good wine that they can drink everyday and be proud to put on the table when they have guests coming over. There are a lot of good wines in the $15 to $20 range,” he stresses.

Wines between $10 and $15 drive sales at the Metairie location, covering about a quarter of the wine inventory. Martin’s stocks more than 660 choices in this price range, and posts a “Best Buys Under $15 and $10” display at the front of the store. The selection includes white wines such as J. Lohr Arroyo Seco Chardonnay (2009) for $9.99 and reds such as Las Posta Cocina Malbec (2009) for $13.99.

For novice wine shoppers, Martin’s has “Cedric’s Six Pack,” a selection of six whites or six reds picked by a staff wine consultant. With the six-pack, consumers are buying five bottles and getting the sixth for free; prices range from $9.99 to $16.99 per bottle, and the selection changes each month.

To help further educate and engage customers, Martin’s holds wine tastings and offers classes in the Metairie location taught by staff or visiting suppliers. (Every Martin’s location also hosts free weekly Friday wine tastings.) The most popular wine class is the beginner’s tasting course, which costs $100 for five 90-minute classes, and consists of about 75 participants.

Future Plans

As for next steps, Martin’s is looking forward to the reopening of its original Baronne Street location in New Orleans. Continuing with its full-service wine and food reputation, the new location will include a kitchen and deli to offer prepared foods and catering. |SFM|

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Vanessa Facenda is a freelance writer who covers retail, food, consumer packaged goods, entertainment, licensing and housewares.

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