Larry’s owners to retire

#Middlebury

Larry’s Wines & Spirits customers join owners Bob and Paula Zabit for a group photo before the Zabits head off into retirement. With their retirement, the business will change hands for the first time in 26 years. (Marjorie Needham photos)

By MARJORIE NEEDHAM

Bob and Paula Zabit have owned and operated Larry’s Wine & Spirits in Middlebury for 26 years. Now it’s time to sell the business, sell their home of 45 years, and move to their condo in Pompano Beach, Fla.

On Aug. 25, a number of Larry’s customers gathered at the store to have a farewell group photo. Among those who came was Joe Desantis, who was already a Larry’s customer when the Zabits bought the business in 1992. He said he hated to see the Zabit’s leave, but added, “The good thing is they’re moving and living about a mile away from my place in Pompano Beach.” He said he would probably get to spend more time with them in Florida than he did here.

Heidi Shea said the Zabits are very personable and she thought they did a great job at the store. They did a lot for the town, too. “They were very good to the Lions Club and the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department (MVFD),” Shea said.

MVFD Lieut. Ed Cavallaro agreed. He and other firefighters came back from a call and then drove the ladder truck down to Larry’s and parked it beside the store while they thanked Bob and Paula and joined the group photo. Cavallaro said, “Larry’s has supported our department numerous times over the years with generous donations.”

Rob Fenn said he was sorry to see the Zabits leave. “It’s been a lot of fun through the years, but I wish them a lot of fun down in Florida.” He added, “Everyone moves on and everything changes.”

Over the years, the Zabits and their customers have become friends. Bob said, “We’ve watched people date, marry and have kids, and now their kids come in here.” He said four customers came in crying after they heard the Zabits would be leaving. It’s an emotional time for all.

Bob said, “The young people who welcomed us to town are now the old people who will get us out of town.”

Bob and Paula Zabit stand in the doorway of the business they are selling. They look forward to their retirement in Florida.

When we asked how many times in their 26 years the business had to close due to the weather, Bob said, “Never!” When a bad storm knocked out power for five days, Bob and Paula stayed open as long as there was enough light to see. Every transaction was carefully written down, and when the power was restored, Paula sat down and entered five days of receipts into the computer. “It’s a good thing she is good typist,” Bob said.

The store stayed open through every snowstorm, too. Sometimes, when they left the store, they had to drive home when a driving ban was in effect, and law enforcement would stop them for being on the road.

During one snowstorm about 10 years ago, Bob said Larry’s was the only business open in town. “We sold every single pack of cigarettes we had,” Bob said. “People would walk two miles for a pack of cigarettes.”

Larry’s was started in 1962 by Larry Trinchero, who ran the business for 20 or so years before his son Peter took over. Peter later sold the business to the Zabits.

Bob had not planned to become a package store owner. He is a printer by trade.

He said he went to work for a print shop in Hartford, but the business closed. He found work at another print shop, and that shop closed, too. When he started working at a third print shop, he said he looked around and thought to himself that business would close, too. He said to himself, “I’ve got to do something else.” It was time to find another way to earn a living.

Bob had always been interested in wines. Why not own a package store? “I decided to turn a hobby into a profession,” he said. That’s when he started looking for package stores that were for sale. He found Larry’s, bought it and he and Paula have been here ever since.

When they first bought the business, Paula was working as a bookkeeper for a manufacturing business, a position she held for 33 years. The first 10 years the couple owned the liquor store, Paula would work her regular job and then work at the liquor store.

As soon as they could after they bought the store, they computerized the business. Before that, every New Year’s Day they had to be in the store manually inventorying the stock. It would take them until 10 to 11 p.m. to finish the inventory. Having the computer keep track of their inventory made life a lot easier.

Over the years, laws governing the operation of package stores have changed. As a result, Bob said, “I haven’t had a vacation in five years.” That’s because Larry’s is a mom-and-pop operation. The state changed the laws in 2012 so liquor stores could open on Sundays and on many of the holidays – July 4, Memorial Day, Easter Sunday and Labor Day – that formerly required liquor stores to be closed. Large stores welcomed the change, but mom-and-pop businesses did not. It meant work weeks no longer had even one day off.

Looking back over their time running a business in Middlebury, Bob said, “We’ve had a ball here. It’s been a wonderful experience. We met wonderful people and made good friends.”

Editor’s note: The prospective new owner is someone familiar to many of our readers. We will share that information once the transaction has successfully closed.