Stakeholder Spotlight: Brian Mallie
Stakeholder Spotlight: Brian Mallie
In the summer of 2008, after having spent time as a bartender and as a buyer at both large chains and small boutiques in the Twin Cities, Brian Mallie became the very first employee of Kowalski's Wine & Spirits shop at our very first location in Eagan. But his interest in wine goes much further back.
"I remember watching a documentary about German wine on PBS when I was a kid back in Wisconsin," Brian recalls. "They were describing and drinking some 150-year-old wine, and I was just fascinated by the concept of it." That program sparked something in him, Brian says. "I'd imagine I was probably the only 10-year-old to ever check out a book about wine from the Brookfield Public Library."
Another documentary, this time a British culinary series called Floyd on Spain, piqued his interest in cooking and connected the scenic beauty of Europe with its regional cuisines. "Let's be honest, though," Brian notes. "Keith Floyd was not a good cook. While on a Basque country cruise, he set his boat on fire. But he used to say, 'To know a country, you have to eat a country.' How is that not the coolest thing?"
Of his inquiring young mind and interest in documentaries, Brian says, "I have always been deeply curious. I have an insatiable need to learn." He studied art history in college, specializing in antiquities, and found he missed formal learning after completing his degree. Educating himself about wine filled that void, feeding his appetite for knowledge, history, romance and worldly culture.
Fast-forward to today. Brian serves as Wine & Spirits Director for Kowalski's now six locations, where wine expertise is at the center of everything. "It's all about building trust," Brian explains. "Kowalski's shoppers, being the loyal, invested shoppers they are, know they can count on the Wine & Spirits stakeholders to be good guides. Because in the end, it's that first-person recommendation that really most resonates."
With stores half the size or even smaller than its competitors, selection, Brian says, is what sets Kowalski's apart.
"At the end of the day," Brian explains, "it's all about the wine – quality wine.” He describes our Wine & Spirits variety as "an interesting mix of some of the wines you know but, more importantly, some of the wines you don't." He adds, "That's where we really separate ourselves – in the wines we choose from the less well-known regions, or even the well-known regions from smaller producers. At the end of the day, there is so much good wine out there for people who are willing to take a chance on something outside the box. We love being able to introduce customers to what they don't know they want yet."
Brian also notes the availability of wine in every category, at every price point. "Eighty percent of our selection is under $20 because that's what most customers are comfortable cracking open on a Tuesday night. But I always want the customer to get more than they paid for. If you are going to take it home and drink it tonight, it has to have something to show you tonight."
On any given Tuesday, you might find Brian entertaining friends in his Minneapolis home. Like most great wine experts, Brian loves great food, too. He enjoys surprising his guests with everything from eel, octopus and lobster to lamb and Beef Burgundy, made with one of his favorite wines. He also loves to travel and dine out, and enjoys walks around the lake with his English bulldogs, Henry and Phoebe. In his spare time, he still reads books about wine and occasionally watches documentaries.
Stop in at one of our six Wine & Spirits shops, located at our Excelsior, Grand Avenue, Oak Park Heights, Shoreview, Uptown and Woodbury Markets.
