(Note - Gendler's has, indeed, closed their doors)
The oldest wine store in the Quad Cities may be shutting their doors soon. Gendler's Wines and Spirits has been in business since 1916 when Russian immigrant Max Gendler opened a grocery store at a location near downtown Rock Island. With the repeal of Prohibition, Gendler began to sell beer and liquor at his grocery store in 1934.
Over the years, Gendler's daughter, Rosalyn, and her husband, Jerry Zeffren (right), ran the business from the little building that seemed to be bursting from the seams. In the late 50's, Jerry and Rosalyn took a trip to Europe and were told to drink wine and not the water. Jerry had some interest in wine before that, but really began to learn about wines after that trip.
In 1963, Jerry began to sell wine in addition to beer and liquor. Eventually, Gendler's ceased being a grocery store that sold liquor. The Zeffren's then changed the name to Gendler's Wine Cellar and began to sell gourmet food items along with the ever growing stock of wines from Europe and eventually California.
When I first moved to the Quad Cities over 15 years ago, I was told Gendler's was the place to go to get beer and wine in the area. Jerry, and his longtime manager, Jim Stephens, were great guys to work with. Jerry taught me a lot about some obscure wines and could special order me Capital Brewery products. He ended up stocking some varieties of Capital beers because I was ordering a case or two a month from him. I honestly miss Jerry.
In 2001, Jerry and Rosalyn, both well into their 80's, sold the business to local businessman Tom Getz. Getz, who owns Moline Forge, a long-time local foundry that makes forged steel parts for John Deere, moved the business to its present location in Moline in John Deere Commons (see map) and changed the name to Gendler's Wine and Spirits.
The new location was definitely a step up from the old building Jerry and Rosalyn were in. It was easily two and a half times larger than the old location, with double the amount of parking. The display racks were easier to get to and they added more wine to choose from.
But it didn't have the same charm of the old building. Even though Jim Stephens was still on hand, it just wasn't the same as Jerry greeting you, taking you by the arm and showing you some obscure wine that he just got in from California or South America. Jerry never steered me wrong on a wine.
About a year and a half ago, Tom Getz and his wife, Karen, were driving home from Chicago when Tom Getz fell asleep and lost control of his vehicle. Karen was seriously injured and has been in constant need of medical care. Getz recently announced that Gendler's has been losing money and the stress of his wife's slow recovery has been taking a toll on him. He said that they were looking at closing the business because of the number of competitors in the market, most notably the Hy-Vee Food Stores that have an extensive wine and liquor department in many of their stores here in the Quad Cities.
I have to admit, I don't go to Gendler's like I used to. Even though they do have a good selection of wines, I don't know if it's because I shop for wines while I'm on the road, or if it's because the old time charm is gone in the new location, or if it's because Jerry Zeffren is no longer around. It's probably a combination of all three.
Getz said that he'd make his mind up sometime in the next few days as to the fate of Gendler's, but he's leaning toward closing. And it's sad. To me, it's another instance where new owners took the charm out of a business by trying to make it bigger and better.
Comments