Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
The early days of business
In 1934, the brothers rented a desk in the Arcade in downtown Dayton and started taking orders for their liquor delivery service.
“They started it right after prohibition,” said Beth Freyvogel, who oversees the Centerville store and is Irv’s granddaughter. “They noticed the liquor lines at the liquor store were super long, so they had a car and they started a service that delivered for a quarter.”
They named the delivery service “Arrow” because Freyvogel’s grandmother said they delivered straight as an arrow.
“The demand for the liquor was great, but they also were starting to ask for things that the liquor store didn’t carry like wines, beers and cordials that were lower proof,” Freyvogel said.
The following year, the Frank brothers opened a beer and wine store at 39 S. Ludlow St., across from the Arcade.
By the 1940s, Arrow had six stores in the Dayton area.
What to expect at Arrow Wine & Spirits
Today, Arrow Wine & Spirits has three locations: 2950 Far Hills Ave. in Kettering, 615 Lyons Road in Centerville and 6061 Radio Way in Mason.
The Kettering store opened in the 1950s, followed by Centerville in 1974 and Mason in 2020.
“As third-generation owners of Arrow Wine, Beth and I have always wanted to expand, and the Mason/West Chester area has always been on our radar,” Mif Frank, who oversees the Kettering location and is Irv’s grandson, previously said. “Being a small, family-owned business, we enjoy seeing our employees grow.”
Times have changed, but the business stays committed to being a one-stop party store that carries local products. Customers can find between 1,700 and 2,500 spirits, 3,000 wines and 3,000 to 5,000 beers at the liquor stores.
The Kettering location is the smallest, with the other two stores comparable in size. The Mason location offers more wine and all three stores deliver.
The Kettering store was recently updated with new flooring, fixtures, shelving and signs.
“It was a project long overdue,” Frank said.
Next up, will be a facelift for the Centerville store, but that probably won’t happen for a year or so.
Business after the pandemic
When Gov. Mike DeWine ordered bars and restaurants to close in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, Arrow Wine & Spirits saw a surge in business.
Since then, they’ve seen an increase in people asking them to supply alcohol for weddings.
Another aspect of their business they are continuing to work on since Covid is offering events like liquor signings or beer tastings, once again.
“We are re-establishing our parties,” Freyvogal said. “It was hard to have those types of events after Covid.”
All three stores offer wine tastings from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.
Employees are the heart of the stores
Moving forward, Freyvogel and Frank plan to continue doing what they’ve been doing by keeping the quality of service high and hiring loyal employees that strive to create a great experience for their customers.
Throughout the three stores, they have about 75 employees with many families working for them and some employees that have worked at the liquor stores for decades.
“I’m proud of it,” Freyvogal said.
“Third generation is tough to come through and to be honest our business is better than ever,” Frank said.
Freyvogal is working on grooming the fourth generation of family ownership. Her two sons work at the Centerville store stocking shelves and completing carry outs.
The owners would like to thank the generations of people that have shopped at their liquor stores.
“Thank you for your continued patronage for 90 years,” Freyvogal and Frank said.
MORE DETAILS
For more information about Arrow Wine & Spirits, visit arrowwineandspirits.com.
About the Author
