Ed Wassmer is President of Young’s Fine Wines & Spirits, 505 Plandome Road, a Manhasset institution celebrating its 79th anniversary this year. Founded in 1933 by Mr. Young, a pharmacist who dispensed spirits during Prohibition (for medicinal purposes), Young’s opened immediately after the repeal.
Originally located on Gaynor Avenue, Young’s moved to its Plandome Road location in 1951, expanded to include the Wine Room in the seventies and now has the largest selection of fine wines and spirits on Long Island.
Wassmer is a lifelong Manhasset resident. He and his business partner bought Young’s in August of 2004. Prior to owning Young’s, he was an executive in private banking, where he learned the value of building relationships with customers.
Leveraging technology to stay in touch with his large customer base, Wassmer built Young’s website, sends a weekly e-mail to thousands of customers and uses Facebook to announce new arrivals and talk about trends in the wine world. Young’s success is based on service, selection and keeping the product line current with trends.
If you’re rushed and can’t stop by the store, you can shop online at www.youngswines.com. Wassmer and his co-workers will pack your wine and spirits order and deliver it locally for free. You can also use the website to send wines to friends and associates nationwide.
Young’s also makes beautiful gift baskets for special occasions and gift wrapping is always free. It’s a service many customers use during the holidays and for gift giving on special occasions.
Wassmer also created the Young’s free Cost Cutter Club, entitling customers to cash rebates on purchases. To keep up with new arrivals, over 7,000 customers also receive the weekly email. It’s a quick read that’s fun and informative.
To help customers stay current with trends in the wine and spirits world, every Saturday, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Wassmer’s staff conducts a free wine tasting, and twice a year, in the spring and the autumn, the store has free super tastings, where you can try hundreds of new and exciting wines from all over the world.
Getting help selecting the perfect spirit or wine is easy at Young’s.
All Young’s employees attend wine and spirits training and the store is always staffed by friendly experts to answer your questions and help you make the perfect choice.
Wassmer is proud to run an institution rich in Manhasset history. Wassmer, his business partner Milan, and the staff at Young’s look forward to responsibly serving the community for many years to come. Store hours are Monday to Thursday: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday: 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. (516) 627-1234. ed@youngswines.com.
Submitted by the Manhasset Chamber of Commerce. www.manhassetny.org
