| ► People’s Voice - 03/29/76 - A Tap on the World’s Keg |
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The People’s Voice - 03/29/76 - A Tap on the World’s Keg  The following is an article written in “The People’s Voice” about the Watchdawg’s retail beer/wine and Asian grocery store in Toledo, Ohio.
Dave Palmer has the world in his hand.
He controls hand held representatives from the six populated continents. They are from countries large and small; attracting people from miles around to see them.
 Dave Palmer owns the largest collection of imported and domestic beers in the United States.
Palmer operates Kwon’s Oriental Shoppe and Beer Emporium, 4859 Douglas Rd. The store stocks more than 175 imported beers and over 100 domestic brands.
“You have to do something unique with respect to your competitors to be a success in the business world,” the 33-year-old Palmer says scanning the shelves packed with colorful and odd shaped bottles and cans.
“My competitors are always checking upon on me to see what I have in stock. They even buy from me.”
The recent surge in beer can collecting and the consumer’s desire to try something unique has let to the store’s success. “It’s not unusual,” Palmer says, “to have a customer spend $50 to $100 at a time on beer.”
The road that led to the development of Toledo’s beer haven started with Palmer’s original store on Alexis Rd. At that time Palmer dealt only with orient al foods and supplies. “The cost of a license just to sell oriental beer was just not worth the trouble,” he recalls, “so I went into other beers.”
Palmer received his license to sell beer from the State in April 1976. He soon had to relocate to his present site because of a lack of space.
The store’s name comes from his wife’s maiden name. “It just wouldn’t sound right–Palmer’s Oriental Shoppe,” he mused gesturing towards t he store’s sign. His wife Ok Sun, a native of Korea, also works in the shop, keeping track of oriental delicacies in addition to the beer.
But why doesn’t anyone in the state of Ohio come close to the number of imported beers at Kwon’s? “It’s a hassle,” Palmer emphasizes. “I travel 80 to 100-thousand miles a year contracting importers and distributors on both coasts and in the Midwest.
Customers come from all around the United States and most extensively from the Ohio-Michigan-Indiana area. “I’ve had people come in from Seattle, New York, Philadelphia and Florida,” he notes
“I also have a lot of regular customers from the area,” Palmer says pointing toward an older man inspecting the South American beers. “Many of t hem try a different kind of beer every time they come in.”
Palmer regularly deals with foreigners who have made their home in the area or are in the states on vacation or business. “These people are really excited to be able to buy t he beer they drink at home,” says Palmer. “They usually pick up a case or two.”
“I had a fellow call one time and say he had looked all over the Mid-west for Keo Beer from Cyrus,” Palmer recalls. “He said he knew I didn’t have it in stock, but wanted to call anyway.”
“Well, just as a matter of coincidence I had received a shipment of that beer for the first time only a few days earlier. So I said “Sure, we carry that all the time.” He was over in a matter of minutes and bough a couple of cases.”
His customers claim that some import ed beers are superior in taste, which is t he reason for t heir purchase by them. Palmer said that some customers believe that they are buying a beer with a higher alcohol content, which isn’t always true.
Both can and bottle collectors are drawn to Kwon’s because of the unique shapes and brands available. The buyer can choose from a myriad cans including a gallon container of Henniker Export from Germany, 24-ounce cans of Tooths KB Lager from Australia, Pilsner Urquell from Czechoslovakia or Windhoek Lager-bier from Southwest Africa.
Palmer also sells empty beer cans, some of which command healthy prices. “One time I sold 14 empty cans for $1100,” Palmer recalls with a grin. “It’s a buyers market.”
Can collectors buy full six-packs of beer to use to trade for others. “People come in and buy a six-pack for four or five dollars, empty each can into the sink and sell the individual cans for two or t here dollars apiece,” says Palmer as he watches two women and t heir sons scurry around the store looking for brands to add to their collections.
The women drove to Kown’s from Grand Ledge, Michigan, more than 100 miles away. Both totaled bills of nearly $50. The women termed t he purchases as investments in their son’s futures as the cans will command high prices on the market.
When asked what they would do with all the beer one woman answered, “We’ll throw most of it down t he drain.” A few customers within earshot eagerly volunteered to forgo the wasting of any beer by consuming the beverage themselves and mailing the cans t o their homes in Michigan. The women declined.
Palmer, not one to rest on his laurels, has another project in the making. “I want eventually to have 500 brands of beer and 5,000 brands of wine (he now has over 500 wines), the largest collection under one roof in the world,” he says. It would be just another of Palmer’s unique ways to stay ahead of the competition.
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