By Robert Williams

Editor

This year has been one of resurgence for Lakes Corner Liquor after seeing their busiest months of 2023 severely hampered by the reconstruction of Highway 34 that included a detour that sent customers miles away from the store.

“The difference this year is no road construction; that’s humongous and that’s changed everything,” said owner Aaron Aslesen. “It was painful.”

Aslesen said the construction project dropped his regular sales by 30 percent each month from July through October. Fortunately, the store went into construction time on a record-setting profit year, but took a big hit almost immediately.

Aslesen was complimentary of the final product and was understanding about the need for the work being done, but it certainly put a hamper on his regular business.

Weather has also been a positive factor this summer for the Four Corners business with ample rainfall keeping the tubing businesses running at full capacity and enough sunshine to keep weekend visitors, tourists and lake owners of the area at a much higher rate of patronage than last season.

“It’s been booming for everybody’s business,” said Aslesen.

The Otter Tail River tubing business running this strong past the Fourth of July is something Aslesen said has not been seen in a few years.

“It’s helpful for business,” he said.

The store was thrown a lifeline in the middle of the Highway 34 project, when the State of Minnesota legalized adult-use cannabis on Aug. 1.

The new products include gummies, chocolates and seltzers, the latter being one of this summer’s big hits.

“Honestly, they are one of the top five hottest items we have in the store,” Aslesen said. “The seltzers, we went from having 2-3 kinds to 10-15 and they’re one of our top SKUs now. It’s a lot more popular than you think; it’s not just young people; it’s all ages.”

The popularity of the new revenue stream has replaced one of last summer’s hottest items in hard sodas, like popular sodas in alcoholic form, Mt. Dews, and the like. While they still sell, that market has taken a hit from the CBD and THC varieties now allowed for sale.

“They’ve really taken off,” Aslesen said.

Hard iced teas remain highly popular. The vodka-based, non-carbonated teas are easy to drink on the go, whether tubing or enjoying a nice day on the lake. Aslesen noted there is a noticeable trend of people entering the walk-in beer cooler at Lakes Corner Liquor and coming out with something other than just beer.

“The trends are iced tea and anything with no bubbles—kind of that ready-to-drink beverage,” he said.

Once the THC/CBD beverages were legalized, many of the popular, but smaller, craft beer companies jumped on board right away. For the most part, the new content of the beverage is largely unnoticeable and many of the beverages taste just like their regular counterparts. A THC that is flavored orange or cola tastes just like a soft drink. The customer base for these beverages, which can run around $25 for four 12-ounce cans, has been somewhat of a surprise.

“I’m not even kidding you—I get very elderly customers coming in for these,” said Aslesen.

While most customers will recognize Twisted Teas as the original hard iced tea beverage, that line of product is also now swamped with competition and more varieties for customers.

“Every single company is now making iced teas—they’re never ending,” he said.

Trying to keep up with the latest trends is less work for Aslesen, who runs his store, while working full-time as an Engineering Specialist for the Hubbard County Highway Department.

Many times, it is his customers that help him stay in touch with the ever-changing market.

“The customers really point me in the right direction,” he said. “They go to the bars and come to me with suggestions and obviously, the liquor reps too. Every store has a unique group of customers.”

Aslesen has gathered a large following over his decade-plus in business by attracting and highlighting top quality bourbons and that popularity remains. Lakes Corner Liquor had its largest raffle earlier this year with 172 customers participating, up 50 from 2023.

“That’s still growing like crazy,” he said.

It has become more difficult acquiring allocated bourbons than in past years, as Lakes Corner Liquor was ahead of the game in attracting those who enjoy rare and limited batches. More liquor stores have joined that area of the business as well.

Lakes Corner Liquor is one of the smallest liquor stores in the area, but prides itself on having as much, if not more, variety than its larger counterparts.

The store is located on the southeast corner of Four Corners (Highway 34 and County Road 29) and is open at 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 to 10 Monday-Thursday, and special Sunday hours of 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Find out more at www.lakescornerliquor.com or their social pages on Facebook and Instagram.