Local and family-owned business Manlius Liquors was first opened 50 years ago by Stuart Hodinger at 330 Fayette St. in the village of Manlius. Decades later, their business is still going strong and is something that has been passed down to the next generation in the Hodinger family.
Mike Hodinger, the son of Stuart, said he began managing and owning the store in 1991 and has been working with his sister Jane Macrides and a handful of other employees since then to keep this business in the hands of the Hodinger family after Stuart passed away.
Mike said his father Stuart got the idea to open Manlius Liquors after being in the Syracuse area liquor business in the 1950s and decided he wanted to open his own store in 1965 in the community where the Hodinger family lived.
“I think 50 years is a pretty big deal for any business, not just a locally owned one,” said Mike. “The goal was for us to see it through to at least 50 years…I was born and raised here in Manlius. We [the family] have all worked here in all stages of the store.”
While the business has not changed much other the years, still offering a wide selection of wine and spirits to the Manlius community, the business did moved to the plaza behind Sno Top in 1989 and has been located there since.
“Like any small business, we face difficulties and changes within the business,” Mike said. “It has been a struggle to stay competitive with the big box stores, but I think we do well. But I think that’s another reason 50 years here is so neat. We hope to be an asset to the community.”
And for the future of the store, Mike said he hopes he is able to keep it going as long as he can.
“Maybe we’ll reach another 50 years, who knows? I’m just glad we’ve been able to reach this milestone and I hope to continue service to the community as long as we can,” Mike said.
Manlius Liquors occasionally holds wine and craft beer tastings on the weekends. For more information about the store, call 682-6677.
