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Dear Friends,

After 38 years in the Adult Beverage Industry the time has come for me to pursue other interest. I have appreciated your loyalty through the years!



As of Monday, Novemer1, 2010 at 10:00am, all three of J.J.’s Package Stores are now a part of the family owned Spec’s Wines Spirits and Finer Foods chain.



Today I am officially a part of the Cherry Ruffino Real Estate team at Richard Smith Coldwell Banker United. Working for my wife should be an experience in itself. I am looking forward to the opportunity.



If you have questions, comments, or concerns feel free to contact me at 979-587-0917 or jj@cherryruffion.com.



The relationship we fostered and the friendship we share I will cherish a lifetime!

Warm Regards,

JJ

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Specs

Best wishes, JJ.

JJ's package store...a staple in this town. Best wishes to JJ in his real estate endeavor.

Guess that makes us the only locally owned chain in town now.

Great, I work for JJ's and this is how I find out.

I was sad when the Cork closed its doors...

This is another piece of saddening local news...

it was a great run! Ya'll supplied many a get together for me.

JJ is a good guy. I can't really imagine him working FOR Cherry though.



Sad that they are selling.

JJ called me personally today to tell me. He thanked us for using JJ's to supply our businesses and indicated that he didn't want me to hear from another source before him.

I thought it was very professional and classy. I know that he poured his heart and soul into his business over the years.

Thanks to JJ for his contribution to this community through his stores. I sense that his contribution will continue through his new endeavor.

Best of luck JJ!

Welcome to the world of being a bedroom community for Houston. It will be final when high speed rail gets you to downtown Houston in less than 45 minutes. If you want to see what it will be like, check out Katy or Cypress Fairbanks.

JJ is a great person.

[This message has been edited by braxton (edited 10/31/2010 10:36p).]

They just serviced our daughter's wedding. So much easier to work with than Specs. Luke was awesome! Sorry to see them sell out. Also, sorry the employee found out through this forum.

Just because the place is under new ownership doesn't necessarily mean the employees are out of a job... It's a possibility, but then again, Specs might have a business plan for the stores they just bought.

Sad to see this happen. I worked for JJ for two years when I first moved to town and he was a great employer and person. He did everything he could to help me make it in this town. I even met my wife while I was working there. Too bad a local business that supported our community had to give in to the pressures of corporate America.

Well when you have the most expensive liquor in town stuff like this will happen. I wonder if Specs will take over the catering side of the business as well?

That email was sent out late enough last night so that it would be the first thing people got when they arrived at work this morning. I don't think JJ anticipated it immediately winding up on MyBCS.

I doubt the RP location will get closed, and perhaps not the Bryan location, but I don't think Spec's needs two locations at the Harvey @ Texas area. I'm sure they will find work for most of the employees who wish to continue.

I'm not familiar with Spec's around the state, help me out. Do they operate small neighborhood stores like JJ's or is it pretty inevitable that they close them to drive business to the current store?

I wondered if this might happen when Spec's came to town. I think it killed the business at JJ's across the street from it.

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Do they operate small neighborhood stores

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Lol, no. They are a Walmart of liquor stores.

I doubt Specs bought JJ's in order to shut him down. They most likely bought him out in order to gain those customers. I don't think JJ had to sell out my guess is that he felt now was the time he could make the best deal. His south CS store was always busy and I would assume the same was try in Bryan. The only one hurting was probably the one on Texas as it was across from specs.

"In 1962 Spec and Carolynn Jackson began their venture into the liquor business with a small store around 1000 sq ft selling pints and half pints of liquor.

In 1971 their daughter Lindy and son in law John joined the business upon college graduation.

In 1995, the business grew once more with the addition of third generation family member Lisa Rydman-Key"

This doesn't exactly sound like evil corporate America. This sounds like a really successful family business expanding even further.

I will miss JJs too, but its not like La Bodega just sold out to Taco Bell.

If you are in negotiations to sell a business, unfortunately you cannot tell employees about a pending sale as it would be all over the internet within about 4 milliseconds.

Secondly, how does the poster know to make the comment, "Too bad a local business that supported our community had to give in to the pressures of corporate America."

Perhaps JJ just was tired of the businees and wanted to persue other directions in his life? Losing his father in the past month may have stimulated and motivated him to persue other goals and dreams?

As I am strongly aware of, doing the same thing for decades becomes rather boring and trying on a creative mind.

Also, I am not sure that being purchased by Specks would constitute "Corporate America" pressure.

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That email was sent out late enough last night so that it would be the first thing people got when they arrived at work this morning. I don't think JJ anticipated it immediately winding up on MyBCS.

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It was on KBTX.com last night at 10:52pm.

JJ & Cherry have done so much for this community. I am sure this door closing wasn't easy, but I know others always open for good people with good heads on their shoulders and good hearts in their chest.

I hope JJ takes a break, enjoys some friends and family, and then continues success working with Cherry.

Cheers JJ!

God's Peace,
Chuck

The Ruffinos are and will be pillars in the community. Our family loves you, thanks you for your INCrEDIBLE service, and prays for your happiness!
The Stovers

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Do they operate small neighborhood stores

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Lol, no. They are a Walmart of liquor stores.

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Actaully, they do operate a small neighborhood store in Conroe that they bought out. It's less than a mile from the big Spec's in Conroe but still operating as a Spec's.

So keep your LOLs to yourself, rook.

But you can't say that they are a small neighborhood business. They may have a small location somewhere but Specs as a business is pretty large. Especially in the Houston area.

So keep your sarcasm to yourself Legend.

[This message has been edited by AD Skinner (edited 11/1/2010 12:10p).]

38 years is a good run for any business, and JJ certainly deserves recognition for all those years. His years of dedication to B/CS is readily apparent to anyone in the community, and I am sure he will continue to be a key player locally.

Spec’s does operate smaller stores. The one near what used to be Town & Country Mall of the Sam Houston Tollway is a small store, and has been at that location since the mid-70s. But, if it makes you feel better calling them the “Walmart of liquor stores” in a lame attempt to vilify them, then go for ADS

JJ, you've kept me well supplied for parties since I was in college here at A&M(class of '97)!
I remember having to explain all the checks made payable to JJ's to my dad! Hahahaha!

You will be missed.
Have a great time working with Cherry.

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But you can't say that they are a small neighborhood business. They may have a small location somewhere but Specs as a business is pretty large. Especially in the Houston area.

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I didn't say THEY were a small neighborhood business. I addressed the original question "Do they operate small neighborhood stores like JJ's?" Yes, they do OPERATE some small neighborhood stores. If they buy a competitor, that does not necessarily mean they'll shut the doors of that location.

Keep posting, you'll run out of posts soon.

Do we still get the discount or pay the high Specs prices?

Since my store sells wine & beer, we compete in those areas but JJ has always been incredibly supportive of what we are doing. He even gave me a bottle of wine to try at an event last year. As far as I can tell, JJ could not be a nicer man. Congratulations, JJ, I wish you the very best.

Sponsor Message: We carry all your usual groceries AND the largest natural and organic assortment in BCS. VillageFoods.com

Here's the scoop without all the uninformed speculation and misinformation that runs rampant on this board:

http://www.theeagle.com/business/Ruffino-to-sell-J-J--s-liquor-stores

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.J. Ruffino regularly sent thank you notes and Christmas cards to loyal customers of his liquor stores during 38 years of business in Brazos County.

He sent the final one on Sunday night notifying them that the family operation would be sold. J.J.'s Package Stores have been acquired by a top competitor, Houston-based Spec's Wine Spirits and Finer Foods. The sale was finalized Monday morning, Ruffino said.

Spec's moved into the Bryan-College Station market in 2007 with a store across Texas Avenue from the main J.J.'s store in College Station.

Many wondered at the time whether the locally owned business would survive, and Ruffino began appearing on television commercials urging Bryan-College Station residents to buy local.

But Ruffino insisted on Monday that the competition wasn't the reason for the sale.

"That didn't have anything to do with my decision," he said. "Three years ago, [Spec's] offered to buy me out, but I wasn't ready. I felt like I needed more time, and as time went by, it was time to make a change."

Spec's will close the retail portion of the College Station J.J.'s store on Texas Avenue, but will operate a restaurant and bar supply house out of the space. The other two J.J.'s locations -- on Texas Avenue in Bryan and on Rock Prairie Road in College Station -- will remain open for now.

"There is some goodwill in J.J.'s after 38 years, and [Spec's] recognizes the value of that," Ruffino said.

Ruffino said that all of his store's 25 employees will keep their jobs.

In acquiring J.J.'s, Spec's has obtained its top competitor for distributing alcohol to area bars and restaurants. According to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, there are only four active permits to distribute wholesale alcohol to such establishments. Two of those are owned by J.J.'s, one by Spec's and the other by Whiskey Charlie's Liquor in Bryan.

J.J.'s was long a local leader in wholesale distribution. Ruffino said it made up about half of his total business.

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Best wishes to JJ! I wonder if Specs will still host the Beaujolais Nouveau tasting every November? It's a tradition for us.