Optimism returns to wine seller

LITHIA - Just a few years ago, Shawn and Mary Sarkisian lived in Boston and worked in corporate America; they ran ragged on other people's schedules and priorities.

"It was pressure and bureaucracy," Shawn Sarkisian said. "Raising two children in Boston, 39 inches of snow, all of those things; we said, 'no more.'"

"No more" meant reinventing themselves from the ground up.

"We were already hobby wine collectors," he said. "We love wine; we love people so let's make a life out of it. We moved to a place we didn't know and started a business we'd never been in. But Tampa is warm, my family used to have a place on Anna Maria, we had a feel for the area, and the demographic studies for Hillsborough looked good."

The Sarkisians opened Park Square Cellar, 16132 Churchview Drive, Lithia, in October 2005.

"FishHawk was in development and we were the first business," he said.

"It took a couple of years to get going but our third year was outstanding. Our fourth year started October 2008 and the wheels just came off."

Just like that the dream turned into a nightmare.

"Everyone stopped spending money. We're a boutique business; we stock hand-picked wines; we couldn't do enough volume to make up for the loss."

By late summer Sarkisian announced the store was closing.

"We'd already paid a retainer to a bankruptcy attorney," he said. "We were there."

That's when the unexpected happened.

"One customer kept saying, 'You've got to keep this place open.' I said, 'There's no way - we're done.' This went on three nights in a row: 'I love you guys - we've got to keep this place open. What do we gotta do?'"

Sarkisian, his wife, Mary, and the customer - Kevin Fulcher - sat down together for lunch.

"He was serious," Sarkisian said.

By the end of September, Park Square Cellar reopened with Fulcher as co-proprietor.

"We restructured and brought in some changes," Sarkisian said. "Now we have draft beers, the wine club, a real bar at night, fine cheeses, and we blow people away with events. We've created this place where people love to come. You'd have to go to South Tampa or Sarasota for a similar environment."

The wine club was an instant hit. Just two months since reopening, 200 families subscribed.

"Our base has gone from 50 regular customers to over 200," Sarkisian said.

"What makes us unique is how we can respond to customer demand," he said. "Our members are our focus. We're able to be really nimble, respond to what's going on, adapt and change. Our big push is the community."

Occasionally, Sarkisian offers a specialty dining experience.

"We'll have dinner with a wine maker coming in," he said. "The food is not anything you've had before."

With the business on a sure footing and optimism in the air, life is once again how Sarkisian imagined it when he and his family reinvented themselves and moved to Florida.

"I love it here," he said. "The schools are great; we wanted this European walking lifestyle. It's taken a few years, but FishHawk has worked out well.

"I see a change from six months ago. People came in saying, 'What am I going to do?' Now they're talking about the future instead of being paralyzed. The fear is dissipating."