Wycoff warming to Worthington

• Wycoff

Dan Wycoff, the new manager at the Worthington Liquor Store, is planning on giving the store a “new look” with new features and promotions.

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WORTHINGTON — When Dan Wycoff looks around the Worthington Liquor Store, he sees possibilities — possibilities for displays, possibilities for sampling events, possibilities to expand the store’s selection.

“My main goal is to get people to come into the store,” he said.

Wycoff is the new manager at the Worthington Liquor Store, succeeding longtime manager Shaun Johnson, who died in February following a battle with cancer. He comes to Worthington with a substantial history in the beverage industry.

“I come here from Carroll, Iowa,” said Wycoff, a native of Moville, Iowa, just outside of Sioux City. “After I graduated from Morningside College in Sioux City, I started my career with Hy-Vee Food Stores.”

After a stint as a manager in the grocery department, Wycoff moved to the liquor department when the state of Iowa got out of the retail liquor business.

“So Hy-Vee acquired all the locations they could,” he said of the formerly state-owned stores, including ones in Carroll and Spirit Lake, Iowa. “There weren’t a lot of them. They were called Regal Liquor.”

Learning the trade as the wine and spirits manager for Hy-Vee, Wycoff eventually decided to strike out on his own, opening a store called Cork & Bottle in 1993 in Carroll. Due to increased competition and personal factors, Wycoff had to seek other career avenues and saw the posting for the Worthington job online.

While the communities of Carroll and Worthington are about the same size, Wycoff is making the adjustment from operating a privately owned business to a city-owned one.

“First, I’ve got to learn the municipal concept of a liquor store,” he explained. “I’m so used to owning my own store and competing against the Hy-Vees, the Fareways, the WalMarts, the Costcos. In Carroll, it was all about cash flow and customer service, 24-7, seven days a week.

“I’ve been hired here because of my experience,” he continued. “What I plan on bringing to the store is my experience and that emphasis on customer service that I’ve always had.”

Wycoff also wants to capitalize on trends in the industry, perhaps starting a monthly wine and/or specialty beer club and expanding the selections in specific liquor categories. He’s already selected Nov. 18 as the date for a holiday open house.

“We’re going to have more tastings in the store,” he said, specifically mentioning wines and craft beers. “Every Friday afternoon we’re going to be doing tastings in the store.”

In the months to come, Wycoff also promises the store will have a “new look,” including the addition of a walk-in beer vault, and he wants to offer more specials.

“I’m looking forward to people’s comments on what they want to see,” he added.

With seasonal hires, the Worthington Municipal Liquor Store employs eight people, four full-time including Wycoff. The store is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

“I’m excited about it,” said Wycoff about his position. “With my years of experience and positive image, for starting over in the retail world, this is a good fit.”

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