Purdy’s Expands: Celebrates 50 Years

SARATOGA SPRINGS —Purdy’s Discount Wine and Liquor, located at 70 Congress Street Plaza, recently doubled in size to make room for a growing number of patrons and products at the popular liquor store. This is the second expansion the store has undergone. The store expanded to the space that was previously Scott’s Hallmark Shop, allowing it to almost double in size from 6,000 square feet to 11,000 square feet. In addition to the added space, the expansion will allow the store to offer patrons more than 8,000 items. “It was getting very crowded in the store, so the expansion has allowed us to create more space for our customers and staff, bring in new items and offer lower prices,” owner Gail Purdy-Brophy said. In addition to the expansion, Gail celebrated her 50th anniversary of operating the store with a grand re-opening on November 1 and 2. The event featured 120 new items, wine and liquor tastings, catered food and live music by local musician Lauren Kerr. “The event was a huge success,” Gail remarked. “I’d estimate that we had more than 1,000 patrons attend over the two days.” It all began in the fall of 1963, when Gail quit college and returned home to run her father’s liquor store after he became ill. While she’s been there ever since, the store has operated in a number of locations throughout the city over the past 52 years, including Caroline Street for seven years and Broadway for 26 years before moving to Congress Plaza in 1997. While Gail has witnessed a number of changes in the industry since she first took over the business, one of the biggest has been how popular wine has become. “We have seen a tremendous growth in wine sales over the years,” she said. “When I first started in the business it only made up about 20 percent of total sales and today it has grown to around 70 percent.” Over the 50 years that Gail has operated the store, it has employed more than 200 full and part time employees, has generated millions of dollars in sales tax revenue for the city and county, and has supported more than 1,000 local charity events, she said. “We have always been a big supporter of shopping locally,” Gail added. “The store has been a staple in the community for more than 50 years and we support shopping locally to ensure other businesses have the same opportunity for success that we have had over the years.” For more information on Purdy’s Discount Wine and Liquor, visit www.purdyswines.com.