No Customer No Business

With great success comes great sacrifice, and no person who commits to establishing their own enterprise is exempt from this fact. Edmon Braithwaite, the owner of Nostrand Wines & Spirits, is familiar with the truth of this statement. The Guyanese wine connoisseur sat down with us and took us on the journey of his life, recounting the highs when he first launched his wine shop following a friend’s suggestion, to the lows when he found himself diverting profits into a side hustle that almost destroyed everything. One principle that stuck with him throughout was the satisfaction of his customers. In fact, “no customer, no business,” is the mantra that guided Edmon through it all.

Born and raised in Guyana, a small country in the Caribbean known as “the land of many waters”, Edmon moved to the United States after training in the British military and serving in the Guyanese Army. His management skills at a national office supply chain caught the attention of a colleague, who suggested he go into business for himself. He applied and received his liquor license, and shortly thereafter, Nostrand Wines and Spirits was born. Establishing his budding store on the corner of Nostrand and Atlantic, business began to boom and thus commenced his introduction to the Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. Over the next few years, Edmon saw his customers go from 90% Black, mostly local residents, to less than 50% Black. Many patrons were from Scandinavia, Asia, or Latin America. Thankfully, just before the 2008 recession, Edmon purchased a nearby building, from which he manages the shop to this day. During this time, Edmon and a long-time local businessman also founded the Bedford Stuyvesant Business District to promote local and minority entrepreneurship. Edmon served as the first chairman of its board of directors.

Edmon later decided to help spearhead “One Caribbean Radio,” a new radio station and passion project giving voice to a disjointed and disenfranchised Caribbean community. For almost 7 years he juggled a family, a thriving wine business, and a radio station. Edmon soon found himself diverting all of the revenues from the wine store into the radio station. Despite the need to grow the wine business, Edmon rationalized his determination to pour back into the community that had given him so much. The station was even recognized by the Clinton Foundation as a critical element within the local business community’s development. But when the Great Recession hit, the station did not survive. This was a huge setback for Edmon, not only because the station failed, but because the revenue diversion almost took the wine shop too. Edmon lost almost two million dollars in investments during this period. “There were many customers that would come in and would ask, ‘What’s going on? I see nothing on the shelves...what can we do to help?’ My customers saw me- there was just nothing to sell.” One of the hardest periods in his life, this was a major loss for his entire family.

Asked how he kept going, Edmon says he leaned on the words of his father: “Regardless of the obstacle, you are going to overcome it.”

He recalls the early mornings, late nights, missing dinner, the IRS on his back, his customers. Edmon’s wife held down the fort at home. Edmon admits that “when you own your own business, with the level of commitment that you have to have, there are certain parts of your life that are obviously going to suffer,” alluding to his marriage and the toll that it has taken on his family. It was important for Edmon to lean on the values instilled during his childhood, because “when you’re in that stage, lots of things go through your mind,” Edmon reflected, alluding to sometimes dangerous thoughts. It took Edmon six years to recover from the economic downturn that shook the world.

Thankfully, Edmon bounced back from these difficult times. He carefully catered to the needs of the support system that frequented his place of business: his customers. “There’s no single answer to how you recover...it’s all about how you treat people.” From the beginning, Edmon has made customer satisfaction a focal point in operating a great business. The personal and professional connections he developed with his longtime customers would be the secret weapon he never anticipated he would need. That and a stable life at home, largely thanks to Mrs. Braithewaite. Without her, it would have all fallen apart. “She would be shocked to hear me say what I’m saying now,” Edmon said with a chuckle.

There’s no single answer to how you recover...it’s all about how you treat people.

All of the sacrifices were worth it because the wine shop played a direct role in Edmon’s ability to provide for his family. His children- an accountant, an engineer and daughter in medical school- are doing exceptionally well. Edmon can look at his children and smile at the results. He only hopes that as they navigate life and careers as young adults, that they come to understand his sacrifices and can see life through his eyes.

Last November Edmon celebrated his 11th annual Toast of Brooklyn Food and Wine Festival, which took place in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He presented over 100 fine wines and liquors, and hosted more than twenty food vendors that fed the many palettes traveling from near and far. Toast of Brooklyn is packed with up and coming food and drink brands as well as live food demonstrations you won’t experience anywhere else. Nostrand Wines and Liquors is where it all began.

Nostrand Wines and Spirits is located at 549 Nostrand Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11216. They are open 7 days a week.