With over twenty establishments already selling beer and wine in Gorham alone, it hardly seems noteworthy when another opens its doors. But for beer and wine enthusiasts, the recent opening of the Bier Cellar on 593 Main Street has been welcomed news.
The Bier Cellar is family owned and operated by Greg Norton, who grew up in Buxton and now lives in Gorham with his wife Katie Norton and their two children. Educated with an MBA from USM and Cicerone Certified as a “Beer Server,” Norton is certainly well qualified to sell beer. Like many in the industry, Norton’s passion started as a home brewer, while still working his day job in finance.
“I learned to be a very good home brewer, but I knew I wasn’t in the same league as the top professionals.” Instead he chose to sell beer rather than brew it, opening his first store in Portland in 2012.
Photo credit Tom CorbettAs its name suggests, the Bier Cellar sells mostly local and international craft beer (and wine). “We were lucky with our timing,” said Norton, noting that the craft beer market, while not without some recent setbacks for mid-sized breweries, has been rapidly expanding since he opened his first store.
“The ever-increasing varieties of beers has created a need for retailers to take on more of an advisory role,” said Norton, something he feels they do quite well. He and his knowledgeable staff are always ready to provide advice. Moreover, the beers and wines on his shelves are carefully labeled with helpful descriptions, penned by Norton himself.
The shifting nature of beer distribution has also played to Norton’s strengths. When he started his business six years ago, all of his beers were provided through distributors. Today, he estimates that around ten breweries self-distribute, requiring him to build strong relationships with not only distributers, but many small breweries as well. The Bier Cellar is “as much a relationship management business as it is retail.” The same is true with building loyal customer relationships, which he nurtures using social networks such as Facebook and Instagram. “I’ve found that my older customers use Facebook, while my younger ones rely on Instagram,” he noted.
The new Gorham location has also positioned the Bier Cellar well within the ever-growing Maine beer tourism phenomenon. With Sebago’s new destination brewery practically across the street and two growing breweries, Mast Landing and Lone Pine, nearby, many of these tourists and beer buses pass by the store every day. Already almost 40% of “big sales” at the Portland store are by out of state visitors stocking up on Maine beers to take home. The same will likely hold true in Gorham. That is, unless the many local craft beer enthusiasts don’t get them first.
The Bier Cellar is open Tuesday-Friday from 12-8 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. and Sunday from 12-6 p.m. To learn more, call (207) 558- 2094 or visit www.biercellar.com.